Santa Monica, CA Climate


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United States / California / Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim Metro Area / Los Angeles County / Santa Monica / Zip Codes
Santa Monica, CA has a pleasant Mediterranean climate with warm summers and mild winters. The average high temperature in July is around 70°F (21°C), and the average low temperature in January is about 48°F (9°C). The city receives very little rainfall throughout the year, making it an ideal spot to enjoy sunny days on the beach year-round. Santa Monica experiences cool ocean breezes from the Pacific Ocean, which can help keep temperatures comfortable during the hot summer months.

Santa Monica, California gets 14 inches of rain, on average, per year. The US average is 38 inches of rain per year.

Santa Monica averages 0 inches of snow per year. The US average is 28 inches of snow per year.

On average, there are 281 sunny days per year in Santa Monica. The US average is 205 sunny days.

Santa Monica gets some kind of precipitation, on average, 30 days per year. Precipitation is rain, snow, sleet, or hail that falls to the ground. In order for precipitation to be counted you have to get at least .01 inches on the ground to measure.

Weather Highlights

Summer High: the July high is around 74 degrees
Winter Low: the January low is 49
Rain: averages 14 inches of rain a year
Snow: averages 0 inches of snow a year

Bestplaces Comfort Index

The annual BestPlaces Comfort Index for Santa Monica is 9.2 (10=best), which means it is one of the most pleasant places in California.

9.9 Summer - 8.6 Winter
August, September and July are the most pleasant months in Santa Monica, while January and February are the least comfortable months.

  ClimateSanta Monica, CaliforniaUnited States
  13.7 in.38.1 in.
  0.0 in.27.8 in.
  30.3 days106.2 days
  281 days205 days
  73.5°85.8°
  49.3°21.7°
  9.27
  6.24.3
  105 ft.2443 ft.
Climate
YOU SHOULD KNOW

Many people confuse weather and climate but they are different. Weather is the conditions of the atmosphere over a short period of time, and climate is how the atmosphere is over long periods of time.

Weather is how the atmosphere is behaving and its effects upon life and human activities. Weather can change from minute-to-minute. Most people think of weather in terms of temperature, humidity, precipitation, cloudiness, brightness, visibility, wind, and atmospheric pressure.

Climate is the description of the long-term pattern of weather in a place. Climate can mean the average weather for a particular region and time period taken over 30 years. Climate is the average of weather over time.

August is the hottest month for Santa Monica with an average high temperature of 74.3°, which ranks it as one of the coolest places in California. In Santa Monica, there are 5 comfortable months with high temperatures in the range of 70-85°. The most pleasant months of the year for Santa Monica are August, September and July.
In Santa Monica, there are 1.8 days annually when the high temperature is over 90°, which is one of the coolest places in California.
December has the coldest nighttime temperatures for Santa Monica with an average of 48.6°. This is one of the warmest places in California.
In Santa Monica, there are 0.1 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below freezing, which is one of the warmest places in California.
In Santa Monica, there are 0.0 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below zero°, which is about average compared to other places in California.
Humidity in Santa Monica is generally quite low and comfortable. There are few days during the summer when the humidity becomes unpleasant. The most humid months (but still comfortable) are July, August and June.
February is the wettest month in Santa Monica with 3.4 inches of rain, and the driest month is August with 0.0 inches. The wettest season is Spring with 61% of yearly precipitation and 1% occurs in Autumn, which is the driest season. The annual rainfall of 13.7 inches in Santa Monica means that it is drier than most places in California.
February is the rainiest month in Santa Monica with 5.9 days of rain, and August is the driest month with only 0.3 rainy days. There are 30.3 rainy days annually in Santa Monica, which is one of the least rainy places in California. The rainiest season is Spring when it rains 53% of the time and the driest is Autumn with only a 4% chance of a rainy day.
There is rarely any recorded snowfall in Santa Monica, ranking it as one of the least snowy places in California. Any measurable snowfall is a rare occurance in Santa Monica.
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Renee · Santa Monica, CA
My comp of Okc vs SM differs from stars shown here
Over 3 years ago

I moved here to Santa Monica over 10 years ago from Oklahoma City. I was surprised to see that Oklahoma City was ranked higher than Santa Monica on best places. I  More

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Cynthia · Santa Monica, CA
Best investment I've made.
Over 3 years ago

I've lived in Santa Monica for over 30 years. It's a Mediterranean climate--sunny and temperate when the rest of the country is under snow! I am walking distance to  More

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John · Santa Monica, CA
Stay away. This place is dangerous.
Over 5 years ago

I have lived in this city for 4 decades, and it is never been worse than it is now. It is a dangerous disgusting hell hole. Between the crime, the homeless that are not  More

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