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San Mateo weather by month: averages, rainfall & climate trends

Temperatures in San Mateo stay within a narrow band all year, with the monthly means just 14.7°F apart. Rain here skips the warm season: the bulk of it falls from November to April. San Mateo weather by month: average temperatures, rainfall, extremes and how the climate has changed since 1940.

Today vs average

+3.6°Fhigh above average

74° / 50°Today
70° / 54°Average
see today in detail →

How it's changed

+2.0°Faverage temperature, 2016–2025 vs 1940–1949average temperature vs 1940–499days above 86°F a year now (2016–2025) · 13 in the 1940sdays above 86°F · 13 in the 1940s+2.0°F vs the 1940s · see how it's changed →
Weather by montha typical year, averaged over the full recordJanuary, rain 3.7 incheshigh 58°low 45°February, rain 3.7 incheshigh 60°low 47°March, rain 3.3 incheshigh 62°low 48°April, rain 1.8 incheshigh 65°low 50°May, rain 0.7 incheshigh 68°low 52°June, rain 0.2 incheshigh 73°low 55°July, rain 0.03 incheshigh 75°low 57°August, rain 0.1 incheshigh 75°low 58°September, rain 0.2 incheshigh 76°low 58°October, rain 1.0 incheshigh 72°low 55°November, rain 2.4 incheshigh 64°low 50°December, rain 3.5 incheshigh 58°low 46°wettest month January, 3.7 inches · 20.5 inches a yearsee month by month →

Right now

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

Right now

55.6°

54°feels like
87%humidity
52°dew point
6 mphfrom W
UV index0.0
sunrise07:27sunset18:19day length10h 51m
SunPartly cloudy74°50°
TodayClear67°51°
TueOvercast64°49°
WedPartly cloudy69°56°
ThuOvercast70°56°
FriClear63°56°
SatMostly clear64°53°

On this date: October 26

Today (forecast)
74° / 50°
Average for October 26
70° / 54°

High above average · +3.6°F

  • Highest since 1940: 88.7° · 2003
  • Lowest since 1940: 45.0° · 1971
  • One year ago: 67° / 58°

Every October 26 in history, coldest to hottest

▲ Daily highs▼ Daily lows

Dots show daily highs (top) and lows (bottom) for each October 26 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 San Mateo is sampled from the ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis at 37.56°N, 122.33°W, with daily records since 1940.

Coordinates
37.56°N, 122.33°W
Time zone
America/Los Angeles
Period
1940–2026
Data source
ERA5 (ECMWF)

Last 30 days

15 of the last 31 days were warmer than the historical average for that date. Average difference: +1.4°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

The warmest month is September, with typical afternoon highs of 76.4°F and nights around 57.8°F. The coolest month is January, when afternoons reach about 57.6°F and overnight lows sit around 45.0°F. Frost is essentially unknown.

The yearly total for San Mateo comes to about 20.5 inches; monthly amounts range from 0.03 inches in July up to 3.7 inches in January.

The record here starts in 1940, and since then the annual mean in San Mateo has climbed 2.0°F from the first ten years to the last ten. You can follow the shift year by year in the charts below.

Climate graph (climograph)

September is the warmest month, January the coolest: a yearly swing of 15°F. Wettest month: January (~3.7 in). Whole year averages ~20.5 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 48 rainy days a year: most in March (~8), 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.

San Mateo 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. Highest and Lowest are the most extreme values in the ERA5 dataset (modelled since 1940), so they can differ from official weather-station readings.

MonthAvg highAvg lowRainRainy daysDaylightHighestLowest
January57.6°45.0°3.7 in89.7 h75.8° (2021)29.3° (1949)
February60.4°46.8°3.7 in810.6 h78.1° (1986)31.3° (1989)
March62.3°48.5°3.3 in811.7 h83.2° (2005)36.8° (1966)
April65.1°49.9°1.8 in513.0 h91.9° (1954)40.4° (1953)
May68.2°52.3°0.7 in214.0 h95.3° (1997)43.1° (1950)
June72.5°55.0°0.2 in114.6 h102.5° (2000)46.1° (1952)
July75.3°56.9°0.03 in014.4 h99.5° (1959)48.9° (1955)
August75.5°57.7°0.1 in013.4 h97.4° (1968)50.3° (1955)
September76.4°57.8°0.2 in112.2 h106.2° (1950)47.9° (1950)
October72.3°55.2°1.0 in211.0 h99.8° (1987)42.2° (1971)
November64.0°50.2°2.4 in59.9 h86.1° (1949)36.6° (2010)
December58.0°46.1°3.5 in79.4 h73.9° (1958)26.7° (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 +2.0°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: +0.22°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: +0.38°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 ≥ 86°F per year: 12.9 early in the record → 8.9 recently. Frost days: 0 → 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

Hottest day since 1940 in 1950, coldest in 1990: 106.2°F / 26.7°F.

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

Annual rainfall

~20.5 in/year on average. Last decade: +5% vs that average. Long-term trend: +0.13 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 San Mateo

Which is the warmest month in San Mateo?
On long-term average, the warmest month in San Mateo is September (mean daily temperature of about 64.9°F) and the coolest is January (about 50.2°F).
How does today's temperature in San Mateo compare to the historical average?
On October 26, 2026, San Mateo is forecast to reach a high of 73.9°F and a low of 49.6°F. The long-term average for this date (the full record since 1940) is a high of 70.3°F and a low of 53.9°F, so today's high is 3.6°F warmer than that average.
How much has San Mateo warmed since 1940?
Comparing the first decade of the record (1940–1949) with the most recent (2016–2025), the annual mean temperature in San Mateo is about 2.0°F warmer.
How much does it rain in San Mateo?
San Mateo receives about 20.5 inches of precipitation per year on long-term average, with January typically the wettest month.
What is the average temperature in San Mateo?
Over the full record (since 1940), the annual mean temperature in San Mateo is about 58.1°F. The warmest month is September and the coolest is January.
What are the average temperatures in San Mateo by month?
Average daily highs and lows for each month in San Mateo (°F, full record since 1940): January 58°/45°, February 60°/47°, March 62°/48°, April 65°/50°, May 68°/52°, June 73°/55°, July 75°/57°, August 75°/58°, September 76°/58°, October 72°/55°, November 64°/50°, December 58°/46°.
What is the weather like in San Mateo in summer?
Summer in San Mateo (June to August) is dry and pleasantly warm. Afternoons run 73–75°F and nights 55–58°F; August is the warmest month. Hardly any rain falls.
What is the weather like in San Mateo in winter?
December to February is winter in San Mateo, and it is cool. Expect 58–60°F by day and 45–47°F at night, with January the coldest month. Rain falls on about 8 days a month, adding up to around 3.6 inches. No season is wetter.
What is the weather like in San Mateo in spring?
In spring, March through May, San Mateo is mild. Daytime highs sit at 62–68°F and nights at 48–52°F; May is the warmest month. Rain falls off from 3.3 inches on 8 days in March to 0.7 inches on 2 days in May.
What is the weather like in San Mateo in autumn?
In autumn, September through November, San Mateo is mild. It cools from 76°F by day and 58°F at night in September to 64°F and 50°F in November. Rain rises from 0.2 inches on 1 day in September to 2.4 inches on 5 days in November.
How many days a year does it rain in San Mateo?
On long-term average, San Mateo has about 48 days a year with at least 0.08 inches of rain or snow. The annual total is roughly 20.5 inches.

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