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Santa Maria weather by month: averages, rainfall & climate trends

Temperature-wise, the seasons in Santa Maria are gentle: monthly means drift only 12.2°F over the whole year. Rainfall is on the low side overall. Santa Maria weather by month: average temperatures, rainfall, records and how the climate has changed since 1940.

Today vs average

+9.6°Fhigh well above average

81° / 61°Today
71° / 58°Average
see today in detail →

How it's changed

+1.1°Faverage temperature, 2016–2025 vs 1940–1949average temperature vs 1940–4913days above 77°F a year now (2016–2025) · 22 in the 1940sdays above 77°F · 22 in the 1940s+1.1°F vs the 1940s · see how it's changed →
Weather by montha typical year, averaged over the full recordJanuary, rain 3.3 incheshigh 60°low 48°February, rain 3.3 incheshigh 61°low 49°March, rain 3.0 incheshigh 61°low 50°April, rain 1.2 incheshigh 63°low 51°May, rain 0.3 incheshigh 65°low 53°June, rain 0.1 incheshigh 68°low 57°July, rain 0.1 incheshigh 71°low 60°August, rain 0.05 incheshigh 71°low 60°September, rain 0.2 incheshigh 72°low 60°October, rain 0.6 incheshigh 70°low 57°November, rain 1.7 incheshigh 65°low 52°December, rain 2.7 incheshigh 61°low 48°wettest month January, 3.3 inches · 16.6 inches a yearsee month by month →

Right now

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

Right now

79.0°

82°feels like
64%humidity
66°dew point
8 mphfrom NW
UV index4.0
sunrise07:02sunset18:36day length11h 34m
TodayClear81°61°
FriMostly clear71°60°
SatOvercast70°58°
SunClear65°53°
MonClear71°54°
TueClear68°52°
WedClear75°53°

On this date: October 8

Today (forecast)
81° / 61°
Average for October 8
71° / 58°

High well above average · +9.6°F

  • Record high: 83.5° · 1980
  • Record low: 50.0° · 1949
  • One year ago: 65° / 57°

Every October 8 in history, coldest to hottest

▲ Daily highs▼ Daily lows

Dots show daily highs (top) and lows (bottom) for each October 8 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 Santa Maria is sampled from the ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis at 34.95°N, 120.44°W, with daily records since 1940.

Coordinates
34.95°N, 120.44°W
Time zone
America/Los Angeles
Period
1940–2026
Data source
ERA5 (ECMWF)

Last 30 days

25 of the last 31 days were warmer than the historical average for that date. Average difference: +2.6°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

August brings the year's peak warmth, with afternoons typically reaching 71.4°F and nights around 60.5°F. The coolest month is January, when afternoons reach about 60.4°F and overnight lows sit around 47.7°F. Frost is essentially unknown.

In total, Santa Maria averages about 16.6 inches of precipitation a year; January is usually the wettest month (3.3 inches) and August the driest (0.05 inches).

Over the full record (since 1940), the annual mean temperature in Santa Maria has risen by 1.1°F between its first decade and its last. Recent years have brought more rain as well. The last decade sits roughly 9% over the long-term average.

Climate graph (climograph)

August is the warmest month, January the coolest: a yearly swing of 12°F. Wettest month: January (~3.3 in). Whole year averages ~16.6 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 33 rainy days a year: most in February (~6), 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.

Santa Maria 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
January60.4°47.7°3.3 in69.9 h78.5° (2003)32.9° (1949)
February60.8°48.6°3.3 in610.7 h78.4° (1954)36.5° (1990)
March61.3°49.6°3.0 in611.7 h81.9° (2007)38.3° (1944)
April63.0°51.2°1.2 in312.9 h87.2° (1989)39.1° (1999)
May64.8°53.5°0.3 in113.8 h88.0° (2014)43.7° (1964)
June68.2°56.8°0.1 in014.3 h91.7° (2008)47.3° (1955)
July70.5°59.7°0.1 in014.1 h89.7° (1989)52.3° (1948)
August71.4°60.5°0.05 in013.3 h87.5° (1944)53.5° (1953)
September71.8°60.1°0.2 in112.2 h94.5° (1955)51.0° (1952)
October69.9°57.1°0.6 in111.1 h93.3° (1945)43.2° (1971)
November65.3°52.0°1.7 in310.1 h84.8° (2012)40.5° (1964)
December61.0°48.3°2.7 in59.7 h80.6° (1958)30.3° (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 +1.1°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: +0.15°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: +0.27°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: 22.0 early in the record → 13.3 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

All-time high in 1955, all-time low in 1990: 94.5°F / 30.3°F.

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

Annual rainfall

~16.6 in/year on average. Last decade: +9% vs that average. Long-term trend: +0.25 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 Santa Maria

Which is the warmest month in Santa Maria?
On long-term average, the warmest month in Santa Maria is August (mean daily temperature of about 65.3°F) and the coolest is January (about 53.0°F).
How does today's temperature in Santa Maria compare to the historical average?
On October 8, 2026, Santa Maria is forecast to reach a high of 80.6°F and a low of 60.6°F. The long-term average for this date (the full record since 1940) is a high of 71.0°F and a low of 58.1°F, so today's high is 9.6°F warmer than that average.
How much has Santa Maria warmed since 1940?
Comparing the first decade of the record (1940–1949) with the most recent (2016–2025), the annual mean temperature in Santa Maria is about 1.1°F warmer.
How much does it rain in Santa Maria?
Santa Maria receives about 16.6 inches of precipitation per year on long-term average, with January typically the wettest month.
What is the average temperature in Santa Maria?
Over the full record (since 1940), the annual mean temperature in Santa Maria is about 59.0°F. The warmest month is August and the coolest is January.
What are the average temperatures in Santa Maria by month?
Average daily highs and lows for each month in Santa Maria (°F, full record since 1940): January 60°/48°, February 61°/49°, March 61°/50°, April 63°/51°, May 65°/53°, June 68°/57°, July 71°/60°, August 71°/60°, September 72°/60°, October 70°/57°, November 65°/52°, December 61°/48°.
What is the weather like in Santa Maria in summer?
In summer, June through August, Santa Maria is dry and mild. Daytime highs sit at 68–71°F and nights at 57–60°F; August is the warmest month. Hardly any rain falls.
What is the weather like in Santa Maria in winter?
December to February is winter in Santa Maria, and it is fairly mild. Afternoons run 60–61°F and nights 48–49°F; January is the coldest month. Rain is steady at around 3.1 inches a month, spread over roughly 6 days. It is the wettest season of the year.
What is the weather like in Santa Maria in spring?
March to May is spring in Santa Maria, and it is fairly mild. Expect 61–65°F by day and 50–53°F at night, with May the warmest month. Rain eases through the season: 6 rainy days and 3.0 inches in March, 1 day and 0.3 inches in May.
What is the weather like in Santa Maria in autumn?
September to November is autumn in Santa Maria, and it is mild. It cools from 72°F by day and 60°F at night in September to 65°F and 52°F in November. Rain rises from 0.2 inches on 1 day in September to 1.7 inches on 3 days in November.
How many days a year does it rain in Santa Maria?
On long-term average, Santa Maria has about 33 days a year with at least 0.08 inches of rain or snow. The annual total is roughly 16.6 inches.

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