Santa Cruz County, CA Climate


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Santa Cruz, CA is a coastal county located in the heart of California’s Central Coast. As such, it experiences a mild climate throughout the year with little to no snowfall. The summers are usually warm and sunny, while the winters are mild and cool. Rainfall is generally moderate with an average of 38 inches per year. Temperatures rarely dip below 40F during the winter months and can reach highs near 75F during the summer months. Due to its coastal location, Santa Cruz is often blanketed in fog during the early morning hours, but this tends to burn off by mid-morning as temperatures rise. Overall, Santa Cruz boasts a pleasant Mediterranean climate that makes it an ideal spot for outdoor activities all year round.

Santa Cruz County, California gets 32 inches of rain, on average, per year. The US average is 38 inches of rain per year.

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

On average, there are 260 sunny days per year in Santa Cruz County. The US average is 205 sunny days.

Santa Cruz County gets some kind of precipitation, on average, 68 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 78 degrees
Winter Low: the January low is 39
Rain: averages 32 inches of rain a year
Snow: averages 0 inches of snow a year


Bestplaces Comfort Index

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

9.5 Summer - 7.4 Winter
August, July and September are the most pleasant months in Santa Cruz County, while January and December are the least comfortable months.

  ClimateSanta Cruz, CaliforniaUnited States
    Unlock38.1 in.
  0.0 in.  Unlock
    Unlock106.2 days
  260 days  Unlock
  78.2°85.8°
    Unlock21.7°
  8.5  Unlock
    Unlock4.3
  860 ft.  Unlock
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 Cruz County with an average high temperature of 78.9°, which ranks it as cooler than most places in California. In Santa Cruz County, there are 6 comfortable months with high temperatures in the range of 70-85°. The most pleasant months of the year for Santa Cruz County are July, September and August.
In Santa Cruz County, there are 15.4 days annually when the high temperature is over 90°, which is cooler than most places in California.
December has the coldest nighttime temperatures for Santa Cruz County with an average of 39.2°. This is warmer than most places in California.
In Santa Cruz County, there are 12.6 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below freezing, which is about average compared to other places in California.
In Santa Cruz County, 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 Cruz County 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 August, July and September.
February is the wettest month in Santa Cruz County 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 32.3 inches in Santa Cruz County means that it is wetter than most places in California.
January is the rainiest month in Santa Cruz County with 11.0 days of rain, and July is the driest month with only 0.3 rainy days. There are 67.8 rainy days annually in Santa Cruz County, which is rainier than most places in California. The rainiest season is Spring when it rains 48% of the time and the driest is Autumn with only a 3% chance of a rainy day.
There is rarely any recorded snowfall in Santa Cruz County, ranking it as one of the least snowy places in California. Any measurable snowfall is a rare occurance in Santa Cruz County.
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