San Francisco (CA) monthly weather averages

What's the weather like in San Francisco?

San Francisco has a mild, 'Mediterranean' climate with cool, rainy winters and dry, warm summers. The city has a respectable average of 263 sunny days a year and temperatures typically range from 40 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit (4 to 21 degrees Celsius). The city has low levels of precipitation, receiving an average of 23 inches (58.4 cm) of rain annually. Snow is rare in San Francisco, but it does occur occasionally in the higher elevations of the city.

San Francisco is a coastal city, so it experiences strong winds and fog throughout the year. Located in an area known as the 'fog belt', this means the city experiences foggy conditions more often than other parts of the state. The fog is most common during the summer months, although it can occur at any time of year. This fog is a result of the combination of the city's location by the ocean and its hilly topography.

Climate change is having a significant impact on San Francisco. As temperatures rise and snowfall decreases, the city is experiencing more extreme weather events, such as heat waves and droughts. In addition, rising sea levels are threatening the city's coastline, leading to increased flooding and erosion.

Average daytime temperature

The bar chart below shows the average monthly peak daytime temperatures at San Francisco

San Francisco average temperature chart (Celsius) San Francisco average temperature chart (Fahrenheit)
Average monthly temperatures in San Francisco (degrees centigrade and fahrenheit)
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
°C 13.2 15.3 15.8 16.9 17.9 19.2 19.8 20.1 21.4 20.6 16.8 13.5
°F 55.8 59.6 60.4 62.4 64.1 66.5 67.6 68.2 70.5 69.1 62.2 56.3

Please note: these are the average peak daytime temperatures (usually around mid-afternoon) so do not show daytime / night highs and lows. To see the daily range of temperatures have a look at the temperature max / min chart below.

Average rainfall & rainy days

The graph below shows the average rainfall and number of rainy days per month.

San Francisco monthly rainfall chart (mm) San Francisco monthly rainfall chart (inches)
Average monthly rainfall in San Francisco (mm and inches)
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
mm 125 91 89 40 7 4 1 2 7 35 90 97
inches 4.9 3.6 3.5 1.6 0.3 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.3 1.4 3.5 3.8
Rainy days 10 9 11 6 3 1 1 1 2 4 8 10

Average annual rainfall in San Francisco: 502.233mm (197.7 inches)

Average daily sunshine

The bar chart below shows the average daily sunshine hours in San Francisco

San Francisco average daily sunshine chart
Average daily sunshine San Francisco
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Hrs sunshine 6.4 7.9 9.3 11 11.4 11.4 11.1 10.2 9.9 8.7 6.4 5.7

Day / night temperatures

The graph below shows the daily range of temperatures for each month.

San Francisco average minimum / maximum temperatures (Celsius) San Francisco average minimum / maximum temperatures (Fahrenheit)
Maximum and minimum daily temperatures in San Francisco (degrees centigrade and fahrenheit)
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Min °C 6.6 8.3 8.5 9.1 10 11.3 11.9 12.5 13 12 9.7 7.2
Max °C 13.4 15.5 16 17.1 18.1 19.4 20 20.3 21.6 20.8 17 13.7
Min °F 43.9 46.9 47.2 48.4 49.9 52.3 53.3 54.5 55.4 53.6 49.4 44.9
Max °F 50 53.4 54 55.6 57.2 59.5 60.6 61.5 63.1 61.5 55.9 50.7

Sea temperature

The graph below shows the average sea temperature.

San Francisco average sea temperature chart (Celsius) San Francisco average sea temperature chart (Fahrenheit)
Average sea temperature around San Francisco in degrees centigrade and fahrenheit
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
°C 12.4 12.2 12.2 11.8 11.8 12.2 13.1 14 14.4 14.2 13.6 12.7
°F 54.2 54 53.9 53.3 53.2 53.9 55.5 57.2 57.9 57.6 56.4 54.9

Wind speed

The graph below shows the average wind speed.

San Francisco average winspeed by month (km/h) San Francisco average winspeed by month (mph)
Average wind speed in San Francisco (mph and kmh)
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
km/h 12 14 17 19 21 21 20 19 17 14 13 13
mph 8 9 11 12 13 13 13 12 10 9 8 8

A monthly average windspeed of over 16km/h or 10mph suggests a location is fairly windy.

Relative humidity

The graph below shows the average relative humidity.

San Francisco relative humidity averages
Average relative humidity in San Francisco
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
79% 77% 73% 70% 70% 69% 70% 72% 70% 71% 76% 79%
San Francisco

Other monthly averages

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San Francisco weather stats

San Francisco weather statistics
Hottest month: September 21.4°C 70.5°F
Driest month: July 1mm 0ins
Sunniest month: April 11hrs
Coldest month: January 13.2°C 55.8°F
Wettest month: January 125mm 4.9ins
Warmest sea: September 14.4°C 57.9°F
Map showing location of San Francisco (37.77493, -122.41942) San Francisco map pin © Google

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