San Diego weather by month & the best time to visit
🇺🇸 United States · major coastal city · semi-arid climate
The best time to visit San Diego is July — its sunniest month (Sunshine Score 95/100), with August and September close behind. San Diego averages about 2,854 hours of sunshine a year. Daytime highs around 20°C / 68°F and roughly 4 mm of rain in July.
Jump to: month-by-month table · sea temperature · nearby alternatives · embed this data
- Sun hours / year
- 2,854
- Sunniest month
- July
- Peak score
- 95/100
- Rain / year
- 269 mm
- Midday UV at peak
- 9 (very high)
- Sea at warmest
- 22°C / 72°F
- Population
- 2.9M
- Elevation
- Sea level
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When is the best time to visit San Diego?
For sunshine, the best time to visit San Diego is July, then August and September. The dullest month is February (58/100, 52 mm of rain). The full month-by-month picture is in the table below.
How sunny is San Diego?
San Diego gets a lot of sun: around 2,854 hours a year. July (95/100) is noticeably better than February (58). It ranks #106 of 580 destinations in United States for annual sunshine, above the national median of 2,279 hours. Rain has a clear season: the wettest stretch, around January, carries about 53% of the annual 269 mm.
Sunshine Score by month
| Month | Score | Day high | Night low | Rain | UV | Sea |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 66 | 17° / 63°F | 14° / 57°F | 42 mm | 3 | 16° / 61°F |
| February | 58 | 16° / 61°F | 13° / 55°F | 52 mm | 5 | 16° / 61°F |
| March | 60 | 16° / 61°F | 13° / 55°F | 29 mm | 6 | 16° / 61°F |
| April | 70 | 17° / 63°F | 14° / 57°F | 17 mm | 8 | 17° / 63°F |
| May | 71 | 17° / 63°F | 15° / 59°F | 7 mm | 8 | 18° / 64°F |
| June | 76 | 18° / 64°F | 16° / 61°F | 26 mm | 9 | 20° / 68°F |
| July | 95 | 20° / 68°F | 18° / 64°F | 4 mm | 9 | 22° / 72°F |
| August | 95 | 21° / 70°F | 19° / 66°F | 2 mm | 9 | 22° / 72°F |
| September | 95 | 22° / 72°F | 19° / 66°F | 5 mm | 8 | 22° / 72°F |
| October | 93 | 21° / 70°F | 18° / 64°F | 14 mm | 6 | 19° / 66°F |
| November | 84 | 19° / 66°F | 16° / 61°F | 23 mm | 4 | 17° / 63°F |
| December | 65 | 17° / 63°F | 14° / 57°F | 48 mm | 3 | 15° / 59°F |
Sea temperature in San Diego by month
The sea off San Diego is warmest in July at around 22°C / 72°F, and coolest in December at 15°C / 59°F. The water sits at a comfortable 21°C or warmer roughly 3 months a year. Month-by-month sea-surface temperatures are in the Sea column of the table above.
See San Diego on the interactive sunshine globe →
Nearby places for sunshine
- Tijuana Mexico · 30 km · best in May · 3,734 h sun/yr
- Palm Springs United States · 137 km · best in Apr · 3,777 h sun/yr
- Ontario United States · 152 km · best in May · 3,804 h sun/yr
- Los Angeles United States · 176 km · best in Jun · 3,009 h sun/yr
- Mexicali Mexico · 183 km · best in Mar · 3,841 h sun/yr
- Santa Barbara United States · 309 km · best in Jul · 3,525 h sun/yr
Nearest destinations
- Imperial United States · 151 km · 3,841 h sun/yr · best in Apr
- San Bernardino United States · 152 km · 3,804 h sun/yr · best in Jun
- Hawthorne United States · 170 km · 3,009 h sun/yr · best in Jun
Head-to-head
How San Diego compares month by month: San Diego vs Los Angeles · San Diego vs Tijuana · San Diego vs Mexicali · San Diego vs Ontario · all comparisons
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