San Francisco weather by month & the best time to visit
🇺🇸 United States · major city break · oceanic / maritime climate
The best time to visit San Francisco is September — its sunniest month (Sunshine Score 87/100), with October and August close behind. San Francisco averages about 2,879 hours of sunshine a year. Daytime highs around 19°C / 66°F and roughly 4 mm of rain in September.
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- Sun hours / year
- 2,879
- Sunniest month
- September
- Peak score
- 87/100
- Rain / year
- 515 mm
- Midday UV at peak
- 9 (very high)
- Sea at warmest
- 17°C / 63°F
- Population
- 3.5M
- Elevation
- Sea level
When is the best time to visit San Francisco?
For sunshine, the best time to visit San Francisco is September, then October and August. The dullest month is January (33/100, 88 mm of rain). The full month-by-month picture is in the table below.
How sunny is San Francisco?
San Francisco gets a lot of sun: around 2,879 hours a year. 54 Sunshine Score points separate September (87) from January (33), so the month you pick matters. It ranks #104 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 57% of the annual 515 mm.
Sunshine Score by month
| Month | Score | Day high | Night low | Rain | UV | Sea |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33 | 13° / 55°F | 9° / 48°F | 88 mm | 2 | 13° / 55°F |
| February | 40 | 14° / 57°F | 9° / 48°F | 88 mm | 3 | 14° / 57°F |
| March | 41 | 14° / 57°F | 10° / 50°F | 74 mm | 5 | 14° / 57°F |
| April | 52 | 15° / 59°F | 10° / 50°F | 38 mm | 7 | 14° / 57°F |
| May | 54 | 15° / 59°F | 11° / 52°F | 17 mm | 8 | 14° / 57°F |
| June | 71 | 17° / 63°F | 12° / 54°F | 6 mm | 9 | 15° / 59°F |
| July | 72 | 17° / 63°F | 13° / 55°F | 2 mm | 9 | 17° / 63°F |
| August | 80 | 18° / 64°F | 14° / 57°F | 2 mm | 8 | 17° / 63°F |
| September | 87 | 19° / 66°F | 14° / 57°F | 4 mm | 6 | 17° / 63°F |
| October | 84 | 19° / 66°F | 13° / 55°F | 26 mm | 5 | 16° / 61°F |
| November | 57 | 16° / 61°F | 11° / 52°F | 55 mm | 3 | 13° / 55°F |
| December | 37 | 14° / 57°F | 9° / 48°F | 115 mm | 2 | 13° / 55°F |
Sea temperature in San Francisco by month
The sea off San Francisco is warmest in July at around 17°C / 63°F, and coolest in January at 13°C / 55°F. It never reaches comfortable swimming temperatures (21°C+). Month-by-month sea-surface temperatures are in the Sea column of the table above.
See San Francisco on the interactive sunshine globe →
Nearby places for sunshine
- Santa Rosa United States · 106 km · best in Jul · 3,311 h sun/yr
- Monterey United States · 124 km · best in Aug · 3,366 h sun/yr
- Sacramento United States · 138 km · best in Jun · 3,401 h sun/yr
- Fresno United States · 253 km · best in May · 3,516 h sun/yr
- San Luis Obispo United States · 307 km · best in Jun · 3,588 h sun/yr
- Reno United States · 308 km · best in Aug · 3,499 h sun/yr
Nearest destinations
- San Carlos United States · 16 km · 2,879 h sun/yr · best in Sep
- Stockton United States · 104 km · 3,452 h sun/yr · best in Jun
- Merced United States · 168 km · 3,486 h sun/yr · best in May
Head-to-head
How San Francisco compares month by month: San Francisco vs Sacramento · San Francisco vs Fresno · San Francisco vs Santa Rosa · San Francisco vs Monterey · all comparisons
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