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Salinas weather by month: averages, rainfall & climate trends

Temperatures in Salinas stay within a narrow band all year, with the monthly means just 12.2°F apart. This is a dry climate by most measures, though not a rainless one. Salinas weather by month: average temperatures, rainfall, records and how the climate has changed since 1940.

Today vs average

+23.2°Fhigh well above average

93° / 50°Today
70° / 54°Average
see today in detail →

How it's changed

+1.5°Faverage temperature, 2016–2025 vs 1940–1949average temperature vs 1940–4914days above 77°F a year now (2016–2025) · 27 in the 1940sdays above 77°F · 27 in the 1940s+1.5°F vs the 1940s · see how it's changed →
Weather by montha typical year, averaged over the full recordJanuary, rain 3.4 incheshigh 59°low 45°February, rain 3.3 incheshigh 60°low 46°March, rain 3.0 incheshigh 61°low 47°April, rain 1.5 incheshigh 63°low 49°May, rain 0.6 incheshigh 65°low 51°June, rain 0.2 incheshigh 68°low 54°July, rain 0.1 incheshigh 70°low 56°August, rain 0.1 incheshigh 71°low 57°September, rain 0.2 incheshigh 72°low 57°October, rain 0.8 incheshigh 69°low 54°November, rain 2.0 incheshigh 64°low 49°December, rain 3.1 incheshigh 59°low 46°wettest month January, 3.4 inches · 18.4 inches a yearsee month by month →

Right now

What it's doing today vs the historical average for this date.
Clear

Right now

83.5°

80°feels like
31%humidity
50°dew point
8 mphfrom NW
UV index1.8
sunrise07:15sunset18:28day length11h 14m
TodayClear93°50°
SatClear96°58°
SunClear73°52°
MonOvercast67°48°
TueOvercast70°50°
WedOvercast72°54°
ThuMostly clear66°52°

On this date: October 16

Today (forecast)
93° / 50°
Average for October 16
70° / 54°

High well above average · +23.2°F

  • Record high: 85.0° · 2020
  • Record low: 46.4° · 1981
  • One year ago: 66° / 50°

Every October 16 in history, coldest to hottest

▲ Daily highs▼ Daily lows

Dots show daily highs (top) and lows (bottom) for each October 16 on record (n = 87). Outlined dots are today's forecast.

Area we sample

Each city's history comes from one ERA5 grid cell, about 28 km across, shown by the dashed box. Near mountains or coasts, conditions can vary across the cell.

Location & data

Historical weather for Salinas is sampled from the ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis at 36.68°N, 121.66°W, with daily records since 1940.

Coordinates
36.68°N, 121.66°W
Time zone
America/Los Angeles
Period
1940–2026
Data source
ERA5 (ECMWF)

Last 30 days

14 of the last 31 days were warmer than the historical average for that date. Average difference: +0.5°F.

Each bar is one day, from morning low to afternoon high. Warm-colored bars are days whose mean ran above average; cool bars ran below. The dot inside the bar is the daily mean. The shaded band is the typical 10–90% range expected for that date. Average = the day's mean temperature averaged across every year of record (1940–2026) for that calendar date.

This date over the years

One dot per year, showing the mean temperature on this calendar date. Dots are warmer or cooler than the long-term average (dashed line); the shaded band is the typical 10–90% range, and the highlighted dot is today's forecast. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Weather by month

Average temperatures and rainfall for each month: a typical year, from the full record.

Climate overview

September brings the year's peak warmth, with afternoons typically reaching 71.9°F and nights around 56.6°F. The coolest month is January, when afternoons reach about 58.8°F and overnight lows sit around 45.1°F. Frost is essentially unknown.

In total, Salinas averages about 18.4 inches of precipitation a year; January is usually the wettest month (3.4 inches) and July the driest (0.1 inches).

Over the full record (since 1940), the annual mean temperature in Salinas has risen by 1.5°F between its first decade and its last. The count of days past 77°F has eased from roughly 25 a year to about 14 over the record.

Climate graph (climograph)

September is the warmest month, January the coolest: a yearly swing of 12°F. Wettest month: January (~3.4 in). Whole year averages ~18.4 inches of rain.

Bars = average monthly rainfall (right axis). Lines = average daily high and low (left axis). Average = each month's value averaged across every year of record (1940–2026).

Rainy days by month

About 42 rainy days a year: most in March (~7), fewest in July (almost none).

Bars = average number of days with ≥ 0.08 in per month. Hover for the monthly rainfall total.

Monthly wind

Average daily peak wind at 10 m, by month.

Monthly solar energy

Average daily incoming solar energy in megajoules per square metre: the record's own proxy for how sunny the month is.

Salinas month by month: what to expect

Typical conditions for each month, averaged across the full record (since 1940). Daylight is the time from sunrise to sunset. Record high/low are the most extreme values in the ERA5 dataset (modelled since 1940), so they can differ from official weather-station readings.

MonthAvg highAvg lowRainRainy daysDaylightRecord highRecord low
January58.8°45.1°3.4 in79.8 h73.2° (1944)28.9° (1949)
February60.3°46.4°3.3 in710.6 h78.5° (1986)31.6° (1989)
March61.0°47.5°3.0 in711.7 h82.7° (2015)34.7° (1953)
April62.7°48.7°1.5 in412.9 h84.0° (1989)38.1° (2009)
May64.6°51.0°0.6 in214.0 h87.4° (1956)41.9° (1952)
June68.0°53.6°0.2 in014.5 h88.7° (2000)44.1° (1999)
July70.5°55.8°0.1 in014.3 h88.4° (1959)48.4° (1975)
August71.1°56.6°0.1 in013.4 h88.7° (1998)48.9° (1955)
September71.9°56.6°0.2 in012.2 h95.3° (1944)47.0° (2013)
October69.4°53.8°0.8 in211.0 h94.2° (1987)40.0° (1971)
November63.8°48.9°2.0 in510.0 h83.0° (1956)34.5° (2010)
December59.2°45.6°3.1 in79.5 h74.6° (2021)26.4° (1990)

How it's changed

Year-by-year signals from 1940 to today.

Climate stripes

Annual mean shifted from 1940–1949 to 2016–2025 by +1.5°F.

Each vertical stripe is one year. Color encodes how much that year's annual mean differed from the long-term average. Average = each year's annual mean compared to the average of all years (1940–2026). cooler ← → warmer

Annual mean temperature

Long-term trend: +0.18°F per decade.

One point per year, showing the temperature averaged across the whole year. The dashed line is the least-squares long-term trend. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Seasonal warming

Dec–Feb is warming fastest: +0.32°F per decade.

Each faint line is one three-month period's average per year; the bold dashed line is its long-term trend. Different parts of the year often warm at different rates. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Hot days vs frost days

Days ≥ 77°F per year: 26.7 early in the record → 13.6 recently. Frost days: 1 → 0.

Thin lines are raw yearly counts; thick lines are the smoothed trend that removes year-to-year noise. The hot-day threshold is auto-picked per city so the line actually moves. Average = a centered 5-year rolling average to smooth weather noise.

Yearly hot & cold extremes

All-time high in 1944, all-time low in 1990: 95.3°F / 26.4°F.

One point per year: the single hottest and coldest day recorded that year.

Annual rainfall

~18.4 in/year on average. Last decade: +7% vs that average. Long-term trend: +0.24 in per decade.

One bar per year of total rainfall. Dashed line is the long-term average. Average = the average annual rainfall across every year of record (1940–2026).

Day-by-day grid

Each tiny square is one calendar day across the full record, about 30,000 days per city. Use the mode switch above the chart: Anomaly colors each day by how far it ran from the historical average for that date (red = warmer, blue = cooler), Daily mean temp shows the absolute mean temperature for the day (useful to see seasons and heatwaves), and Precipitation shows daily rainfall (useful to spot wet/dry seasons and droughts). Average = the long-term average for that calendar date (1940–2026).

Frequently asked questions about Salinas

Which is the warmest month in Salinas?
On long-term average, the warmest month in Salinas is September (mean daily temperature of about 63.0°F) and the coolest is January (about 50.8°F).
How does today's temperature in Salinas compare to the historical average?
On October 16, 2026, Salinas is forecast to reach a high of 93.0°F and a low of 50.0°F. The long-term average for this date (the full record since 1940) is a high of 69.9°F and a low of 54.4°F, so today's high is 23.2°F warmer than that average.
How much has Salinas warmed since 1940?
Comparing the first decade of the record (1940–1949) with the most recent (2016–2025), the annual mean temperature in Salinas is about 1.5°F warmer.
How much does it rain in Salinas?
Salinas receives about 18.4 inches of precipitation per year on long-term average, with January typically the wettest month.
What is the average temperature in Salinas?
Over the full record (since 1940), the annual mean temperature in Salinas is about 57.0°F. The warmest month is September and the coolest is January.
What are the average temperatures in Salinas by month?
Average daily highs and lows for each month in Salinas (°F, full record since 1940): January 59°/45°, February 60°/46°, March 61°/47°, April 63°/49°, May 65°/51°, June 68°/54°, July 70°/56°, August 71°/57°, September 72°/57°, October 69°/54°, November 64°/49°, December 59°/46°.
What is the weather like in Salinas in summer?
In summer, June through August, Salinas is dry and mild. Expect 68–71°F by day and 54–57°F at night, with August the warmest month. Almost no rain.
What is the weather like in Salinas in winter?
In winter, December through February, Salinas is fairly mild. Daytime highs sit at 59–60°F and nights at 45–46°F; January is the coldest month. Rain is steady at around 3.3 inches a month, spread over roughly 7 days. No season is wetter.
What is the weather like in Salinas in spring?
Spring in Salinas (March to May) is fairly mild. Afternoons run 61–65°F and nights 47–51°F; May is the warmest month. Rain eases through the season: 7 rainy days and 3.0 inches in March, 2 days and 0.6 inches in May.
What is the weather like in Salinas in autumn?
September to November is autumn in Salinas, and it is mild. It cools from 72°F by day and 57°F at night in September to 64°F and 49°F in November. Rain rises from 0.2 inches in September to 2.0 inches in November.
How many days a year does it rain in Salinas?
On long-term average, Salinas has about 42 days a year with at least 0.08 inches of rain or snow. The annual total is roughly 18.4 inches.

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