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Weather Overview for San Diego

San Diego is located on the Pacific Ocean and is the second largest city of the state of California belonging to the country of United States of America (USA).  The city has a population of 1,359, 132 and is named after Saint Didacus.  San Diego lies upon an elevated area of land within deep canyons and hills.  The San Diego River runs through the city separating it into northern and southern areas.  The city has more than 100 neighbourhoods.  The weather in San Diego is of an arid-mediterranean climate enjoying mild sunny weather all year.  The weather can vary quite significantly in different areas of the city due to its topography of the bay, hills, mountains and canyons.  San Diego has its own micro-climate especially in the months of May and June when a thick marine layer of cloud near the coast will keep the air cool and damp yet, within a few miles of the coast sunshine will prevail without any cloud in the sky.  The weather is mainly affected by the: distance from the northern storm tracks and southern storms of northern Californian coast; proximity to the ocean to the west; mountains in the east and the Colorado desert further east.   San Diego is not an area of annual storms / hurricanes as cold Californian current keeps the ocean colder than the Gulf of Mexico so most hurricanes disperse over California and fail to significantly affect San Diego, although there have been 2 hurricanes in recent years which have affected this city, the California Tropical Storm of 1939 and Hurricane Kathleen of 1976.   There are ‘Sonoras’ which occur a couple of times per year which are storms from the south but they do not have a great affect on the climate as are low energy and do not really affect the weather.

The weather in San Diego is beautiful and sunny all year round with temperatures ranging from 57⁰F in January to 73⁰F in August.  The hottest time of the year is late summer and early autumn with temperatures often exceeding 90⁰F.  The temperatures reaching this level are due to easterly winds blowing in the vicinity bringing hot, dry air from the desert, these winds are called ‘Santa Ana Winds’.  Santa Ana winds can be very dangerous as seen in October 2003 when a wild fire driven by these winds burned out of control burning 280,000 acres, killing 15 people and destroying in excess of 2,200 homes.  The city has an average of 146 sunny days per year and 117 partly cloudy days per year.  Rainfall is frequent in the months of December to March.  Summer season is usually rainless.  Snow has fallen only 5 times in 125 years of record keeping. 

San Diego has a lot to offer from the family attractions of the San Diego Zoo, Wild Animal Park, Sea World San Diego and Legoland to activities for people who enjoy the outdoors.  A great place to visit is the Anza Borrego Desert State Park offering facilities to hike, camp, fish, observe wildlife and much more.  There is also the 70 miles of pacific coastline which offers year round outdoor activities such as surfing, boating, sailing and swimming.  San Diego is also renowned for its arts and culture with its culinary arts also of 6,400 eating establishments.  Balboa Park has museums, art galleries, beautiful gardens and theatres too.  There are also golf courses, luxury spas, 70 miles of beautiful beaches and annual festivals to experience.  This city is a great place to enjoy the weather, culture, nature or attractions.  You can look at the weather averages which provide a weather forecast to give you a good idea of when the best time to book your holiday would be. 

In Summer in San Diego temperatures reach average highs of 78⁰F and lows of 62⁰F.  In this season temperatures can also reach 90⁰F and sometimes 100⁰F.  The sun shines gloriously in this season, the sea is warm and evenings are usually warm.  Rain does not tend to fall in this season and the June gloom can affect temperatures which is due to the marine layer of cloud making the air colder.  June is normally the cloudiest month.  Humid weather is not normally a problem and as a result thunderstorms rarely occur.  The hottest month is usually August.

In Autumn the days are still sunny and warm with winds blowing in from the east making temperatures warmer.  Temperatures normally reach highs of 77⁰F but sometimes increase to hotter temperatures, with lows in the mid 50’s and 60’s.  The sea temperatures average at 63⁰F.  The rain begins to fall again in this season but only of a moderate nature.  You can expect 8 to 9 of daily sunshine hours.  This season does tend to be less crowded.

In Winter temperatures are mild with average highs of 67⁰F and lows of 50⁰F.  The weather can change from hot sunshine to a gloomy and wet outlook.  Snow only occurs in the mountains.  This is the rainy season so rain is frequent, with the most rainfall falling within this season.  You can expect an average of 7 to 8 hours of daily sunshine hours.   January is normally the coldest month of the year and the wettest month of the year.  Temperatures do tend to increase into February bringing warmer days and less rainfall. 

In Spring temperatures can reach highs of 69⁰F and lows of 53⁰F.  This season can sometimes be the coolest time of the year due to the marine layer from the coast making temperatures lower even though the sun is hot and strong.  The sea temperatures in this season are around 59⁰F and precipitation reduces dramatically after March bringing brighter days.  You can expect 8 hours of daily sunshine hours.  In April rain moves to light showers and temperatures rise.