2025 Compare Climate & Weather:
Portland, OR vs Santa Cruz, CA

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Highlights

On average, there are 262 sunny days per year in Santa Cruz. Portland averages 144 sunny days per year. The US average is 205 sunny days.

Santa Cruz, California gets 32.5 inches of rain, on average, per year. Portland, Oregon gets 42.8 inches of rain, on average, per year. The US average is 38.1 inches of rain per year.

Santa Cruz averages 0 inches of snow per year. Portland averages 2.6 inches of snow per year. The US average is 27.8 inches of snow per year.

Weather Highlights

Santa Cruz, California
Summer High: the July high is around 77.4 degrees
Winter Low: the January low is 39.5
Rain: averages 32.5 inches of rain a year
Snow: averages 0 inches of snow a year

Portland, Oregon
Summer High: the July high is around 80.5 degrees
Winter Low: the January low is 36.4
Rain: averages 42.8 inches of rain a year
Snow: averages 2.6 inches of snow a year

BestPlaces Comfort Index
Santa Cruz

The annual BestPlaces Comfort Index for Santa Cruz is 8.5 (10=best), which means it is more comfortable than most places in California.

8.5 / 10
August, July and September are the most pleasant months in Santa Cruz, while January and December are the least comfortable months.

Portland

The annual BestPlaces Comfort Index for Portland is 7.5 (10=best), which means it is more comfortable than most places in Oregon.

7.5 / 10
August, July and September are the most pleasant months in Portland, while December and January are the least comfortable months.

Today's Weather - Portland, OR

12 AM PST

Rain Showers

52°F

DAYDESCRIPTIONHIGH / LOWWIND
OvernightRain Showers49° / 60°S 2 mph
Monday NightChance Showers And Thunderstorms48° / 63°WSW 6 mph
Tuesday NightSlight Chance Rain Showers49° / 64°WSW 7 mph
Wednesday NightMostly Cloudy46° / 66°WNW 2 to 7 mph
Thursday NightSlight Chance Rain Showers48° / 68°NNW 5 mph
Friday NightChance Rain Showers52° / 66°WSW 2 to 6 mph
Saturday NightSlight Chance Rain Showers then Mostly Cloudy49° / 66°W 3 to 7 mph
Today's Weather - Santa Cruz, CA

12 AM PST

Chance Light Rain

52°F

DAYDESCRIPTIONHIGH / LOWWIND
OvernightChance Light Rain48° / 63°WNW 5 mph
Monday NightPartly Cloudy49° / 67°WNW 6 to 13 mph
Tuesday NightPartly Cloudy46° / 69°NW 2 to 12 mph
Wednesday NightMostly Clear then Patchy Fog47° / 70°NNE 0 to 13 mph
Thursday NightMostly Cloudy then Patchy Fog49° / 70°NW 1 to 6 mph
Friday NightPartly Cloudy49° / 67°NW 3 to 8 mph
Saturday NightPartly Cloudy48° / 72°NW 2 to 10 mph
Average Monthly High / Low (°F)
MonthPortland, ORSanta Cruz, CA
January48° / 36°62° / 40°
February52° / 37°63° / 42°
March57° / 40°66° / 43°
April62° / 43°69° / 44°
May68° / 48°73° / 48°
June74° / 52°76° / 51°
July81° / 56°77° / 53°
August81° / 56°78° / 53°
September76° / 52°78° / 52°
October64° / 46°74° / 48°
November53° / 40°67° / 43°
December46° / 36°61° / 39°
Hot, Freezing, Rainy, Snowy Days: Portland / Santa Cruz
MonthHot DaysFreezing DaysRainy DaysSnowy Days
January0 / 07 / 419 / 111 / 0
February0 / 06 / 215 / 110 / 0
March0 / 03 / 118 / 100 / 0
April0 / 11 / 016 / 60 / 0
May1 / 10 / 013 / 40 / 0
June1 / 20 / 09 / 10 / 0
July4 / 30 / 04 / 00 / 0
August4 / 30 / 04 / 10 / 0
September1 / 40 / 07 / 10 / 0
October0 / 21 / 013 / 40 / 0
November0 / 03 / 119 / 80 / 0
December0 / 09 / 419 / 111 / 0
August is the hottest month for Portland with an average high temperature of 81.1°, which ranks it as cooler than most places in Oregon. In Portland, there are 4 comfortable months with high temperatures in the range of 70-85°. The most pleasant months of the year for Portland are September, July and August.

September is the hottest month for Santa Cruz with an average high temperature of 78.2°, which ranks it as cooler than most places in California. In Santa Cruz, there are 6 comfortable months with high temperatures in the range of 70-85°. The most pleasant months of the year for Santa Cruz are August, September and July.
December has the coldest nighttime temperatures for Portland with an average of 35.6°. This is warmer than most places in Oregon.

December has the coldest nighttime temperatures for Santa Cruz with an average of 39.4°. This is warmer than most places in California.

In Portland, there are 11.6 days annually when the high temperature is over 90°, which is cooler than most places in Oregon.

In Santa Cruz, there are 14.3 days annually when the high temperature is over 90°, which is cooler than most places in California.

In Portland, there are 29.2 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below freezing, which is warmer than most places in Oregon.

In Santa Cruz, there are 12.1 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below freezing, which is about average compared to other places in California.

In Portland, there are 0.0 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below zero°, which is about average compared to other places in Oregon.

In Santa Cruz, there are 0.0 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below zero°, which is about average compared to other places in California.

December is the wettest month in Portland with 6.8 inches of rain, and the driest month is July with 0.7 inches. The wettest season is Spring with 41% of yearly precipitation and 7% occurs in Autumn, which is the driest season. The annual rainfall of 42.8 inches in Portland means that it is about average compared to other places in Oregon.


February is the wettest month in Santa Cruz with 6.5 inches of rain, and the driest month is July with 0.0 inches. The wettest season is Spring with 59% of yearly precipitation and 1% occurs in Autumn, which is the driest season. The annual rainfall of 32.5 inches in Santa Cruz means that it is wetter than most places in California.

November is the rainiest month in Portland with 19.3 days of rain, and August is the driest month with only 3.7 rainy days. There are 155.9 rainy days annually in Portland, which is rainier than most places in Oregon. The rainiest season is Spring when it rains 34% of the time and the driest is Autumn with only a 11% chance of a rainy day.

February is the rainiest month in Santa Cruz with 11.2 days of rain, and July is the driest month with only 0.3 rainy days. There are 68.5 rainy days annually in Santa Cruz, which is rainier than most places in California. The rainiest season is Spring when it rains 49% of the time and the driest is Autumn with only a 3% chance of a rainy day.

An annual snowfall of 2.6 inches in Portland means that it is less snowy than most places in Oregon.

There is rarely any recorded snowfall in Santa Cruz, ranking it as one of the least snowy places in California.
December is the snowiest month in Portland with 0.9 inches of snow, and 3 months of the year have significant snowfall.

Any measurable snowfall is a rare occurance in Santa Cruz.

DID YOU KNOW?

Many people confuse Weather and Climate, but they are different. Weather refers to the conditions of the atmosphere over a short period of time, while Climate refers to the conditions of the atmosphere over a long period of time.

Weather, more specifically, refers to how the atmosphere behaves and its effects on life and human activities. Most people think of Weather in terms of what can be observed: temperature, humidity, precipitation, and cloudy/sunny conditions. Weather conditions constantly change on a minute-to-minute basis.

Climate is a record of the average weather conditions for a given place over a long period of time, often referred to as Climate Normals. A 30-year period of record is a common requirement to be considered a Climate Normal.

Reviews for Portland    2 Reviews
Jill · Sherman Oaks, CA
re:
Over 16 years ago

Hi. I'd like to know if you still feel the same way about living in Broomfield. I went there this past July to check it out (along with Lafayette, Boulder (can't  More

   |    Reply
NC For Me · Apex, NC
re:
Over 16 years ago

Apex is perfect for what you are looking for. It's close enough to Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill to find a job and Cary the next town over, is a little more expensive but  More

   |    Reply

Start Your Review of Portland

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Reviews for Santa Cruz    2 Reviews
Jill · Sherman Oaks, CA
re:
Over 16 years ago

Hi. I'd like to know if you still feel the same way about living in Broomfield. I went there this past July to check it out (along with Lafayette, Boulder (can't  More

   |    Reply
NC For Me · Apex, NC
re:
Over 16 years ago

Apex is perfect for what you are looking for. It's close enough to Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill to find a job and Cary the next town over, is a little more expensive but  More

   |    Reply

Start Your Review of Santa Cruz

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Zips In Portland, Oregon
97206, 97202, 97233, 97219, 97236, 97230, 97211, 97266, 97217, 97203, 28 total
Zips In SANTA CRUZ, CALIFORNIA
95060, 95064
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