Best time to visit San Diego

May is the best month in San Diego, scoring 98 out of 100, with August the weakest at 73. The 25-point spread means timing is worth planning around without being decisive. 8 of the twelve months sit within ten points of the best, so there is more than one right answer.

August is the warmest month at 32.7 °C and December the coolest at 19.9 °C — a 12.8 °C spread across the year. Around 103 days a year top 30 °C, concentrated in August and the months either side.

There is a real wet season here. January, February, March and December carry the rain — up to 7 wet days in a month — while May to September drop as low as 0. That 7-day gap is the biggest single difference between a good month and a bad one in San Diego, and it moves further than the temperature does.

The sea peaks at just 20.3 °C, which is wetsuit territory even at its warmest — a coast to look at rather than swim in. Daylight runs from 10 hours in winter to 14.3 in summer, enough to notice on a sightseeing itinerary.

The three strongest months are May, April, June. The one to think twice about is August. Each month below has its own page with rainfall reliability, extremes, daylight, sea temperature and crowd levels.

San Diego month by month