Climate in San Diego — Annual Weather Overview

🌍 Semi Arid Climate

San Diego has a semi arid climate — warm and dry with low but seasonal rainfall. The hottest month is September (average high 25.6°C) and the coolest is March (17.2°C). There is a noticeable seasonal temperature shift of 8.4°C between September and March. Annual rainfall is modest at around 330mm, with March the wettest month (81.3mm) and June the driest (3.5mm). Average daily sunshine is 10.2 hours.

🌫️ Air quality note: San Diego sits in a wildfire-smoke-prone region — air quality can spike during fire season even under clear skies. See the full air quality & wildfire smoke guide →
San Diego in Spring San Diego in Summer San Diego in Autumn San Diego in Winter

**Spring (March, April, May):** average highs 18.9°C, 117mm rain. **Summer (June, July, August):** average highs 23.9°C, 21mm rain. **Autumn (September, October, November):** average highs 23.5°C, 53mm rain. **Winter (December, January, February):** average highs 17.8°C, 140mm rain.

San Diego — Monthly Temperatures

0°C32°F10°C50°F20°C68°F30°C86°FJan: 8.3–17.3°CJan17.3°Feb: 8.0–18.1°CFeb18.1°Mar: 9.7–17.2°CMar17.2°Apr: 12.2–19.2°CApr19.2°May: 14.3–20.3°CMay20.3°Jun: 16.0–22.1°CJun22.1°Jul: 18.1–24.1°CJul24.1°Aug: 19.1–25.5°CAug25.5°Sep: 18.3–25.6°CSep25.6°Oct: 15.2–23.9°COct23.9°Nov: 10.8–21.1°CNov21.1°Dec: 8.9–17.9°CDec17.9°

San Diego — Monthly Rainfall

0mm50mmJan: 64.6mmJan65Feb: 30.5mmFeb30Mar: 81.3mmMar81Apr: 30.3mmApr30May: 5.3mmMay5Jun: 3.5mmJun4Jul: 6.1mmJul6Aug: 11.2mmAug11Sep: 17.5mmSep18Oct: 8.8mmOct9Nov: 26.8mmNov27Dec: 44.4mmDec44

✅ Best months to visit

All year

ℹ️ No months to avoid

Weather in San Diego stays reasonable all year.

San Diego weather by month

MonthHighLowRainSun/dayRainy daysRating
January 17.3°C 8.3°C 64.6mm 8.7h 6 10/10
February 18.1°C 8.0°C 30.5mm 9.4h 4 10/10
March 17.2°C 9.7°C 81.3mm 9.8h 10 10/10
April 19.2°C 12.2°C 30.3mm 10.5h 3 10/10
May 20.3°C 14.3°C 5.3mm 10.9h 2 10/10
June 22.1°C 16.0°C 3.5mm 11.7h 1 10/10
July 24.1°C 18.1°C 6.1mm 12.2h 0 10/10
August 25.5°C 19.1°C 11.2mm 11.5h 1 10/10
September 25.6°C 18.3°C 17.5mm 10.5h 1 10/10
October 23.9°C 15.2°C 8.8mm 9.6h 3 10/10
November 21.1°C 10.8°C 26.8mm 9.4h 3 10/10
December 17.9°C 8.9°C 44.4mm 8.0h 6 10/10

For the full verdict on when to go, see the best time to visit San Diego. Seasonal breakdowns: spring, summer, autumn and winter.

Sorted on weather — now sort the packing

Our sister site has a ready-made checklist for this exact trip.

San Diego packing list →

More about United States — currency, language and key facts at 247CountryInfo →

Frequently Asked Questions

What type of climate does San Diego have?

San Diego has a semi arid climate — warm and dry with low but seasonal rainfall. Average highs range from 17.2°C in March to 25.6°C in September.

What is the hottest month in San Diego?

September is the hottest month in San Diego, with average highs of 25.6°C and lows of 18.3°C.

What is the coldest month in San Diego?

March is the coolest month, with average highs of 17.2°C and lows of 8.0°C.

What is the wettest month in San Diego?

March is the wettest month, averaging 81.3mm of rainfall over around 10 rainy days.

How much rain does San Diego get per year?

San Diego receives around 330mm of rain per year. The driest month is June (3.5mm).

When is the best time to visit San Diego?

The best time to visit San Diego is All year. See the full month-by-month guide →

🚗 Car Hire

Compare Hertz, Avis, Budget, Sixt and 800+ rental companies — book now, pay at pickup.

Compare car hire prices → Affiliate link — we earn a commission at no extra cost to you

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Links below are affiliate links.

For the packing side of things, our sister site has a ready-made checklist: San Diego packing list at 247PackingList. For currency, language and country facts see the United States guide at 247CountryInfo.

Trip essentials for San Diego

FLIGHTS

Search flights

Compare 100+ airlines — one search, best price.

Search Flights →
AMAZON

San Diego travel guide

Latest guidebooks for routes, neighbourhoods and day trips.

Check Price →
BLOQUV

UPF 50+ sun protection

San Diego's strong UV calls for proper coverage — BloqUV blocks 98%.

Get BloqUV →
OTRA EYEWEAR

Sunglasses for sunny trips

Heading somewhere this sunny? Otra's trend-led frames are built for travel.

Get Otra Eyewear →

Check clothing sizes in United States at 247Sizing before you shop for the trip.

More San Diego travel essentials

AMAZON

Cooling Towel Travel

Climate-matched essential for San Diego.

Check Price →
AIRPARKS

Book UK airport parking

Flying out to San Diego from the UK? Compare Gatwick, Luton, Birmingham, Glasgow and Newcastle.

Compare Airport Parking →
AIR QUALITY

Keep your indoor air clean

HEPA filtration for wildfire smoke, seasonal haze and everyday pollution — evergreen best-seller.

Shop PuroAir →

Last updated:

Climate data sourced from Open-Meteo (open source, open data licence). Monthly averages calculated from 2020–2023 historical data. Weather can be unpredictable — always check a live forecast before travelling.