When is the best time to go to California?

When is the best time to go to California? Here's some information to help you in your decision:

  • In California, the weather is good everywhere in June, July, August and September
  • The weather is good all year in Los Angeles
  • On average, the warmest months in Los Angeles are July, August, September and October, and the coldest months are January, February and December
  • The rainiest months in this city are January, February and December
  • The cities with the best climate are Los Angeles , San Diego, Channel Islands National Park, Encinitas, Gaviota, Hollywood, Joshua Tree National Park, Lompoc, Malibu and Manhattan Beach, with good weather at least 11 months a year
  • The best months for swimming in Los Angeles are June, July, August, September, October and November


Annual weather in California

For information about the climate and the weather city by city in California for a specific month, click on the corresponding line below:

January 20°F to 70°F
1 to 13 days*
February 18°F to 70°F
1 to 11 days*
March 23°F to 76°F
0 to 13 days*
April 32°F to 83°F
0 to 8 days*
May 40°F to 90°F
0 to 6 days*
June 52°F to 103°F
0 to 4 days*
July 59°F to 106°F
0 to 6 days*
August 58°F to 106°F
0 to 4 days*
September 49°F to 99°F
0 to 3 days*
October 36°F to 86°F
0 to 6 days*
November 27°F to 76°F
0 to 10 days*
December 18°F to 68°F
0 to 12 days*
* weather varies across the country

Best time to travel to California by cities

Chargement en cours
See full list of cities


Temperatures and rainfall in California

On these 3 graphs, we present the evolution of temperatures of California and month-by-month rainfall for the cities of Los Angeles , San Francisco, Palm Springs, San Diego and Yosemite National Park, as well as the month-by-month sea temperature for coastal cities.


Peak visitor numbers and tourist seasons in California

Find out when California has its high tourist season (the period when the influx of tourists is highest) and off-peak tourist season using our data and figures.

Tourist seasons in California

The months with low numbers of tourists are: January, February, March, April, May, October, November and December. The number of visitors to California is high in: June, July, August and September.

  • Very low season in California: January, February and November.
  • Low season in California: March, April, May, October and December.
  • High season in California: June and September.
  • Peak season in California: July and August.

Figure: Visitor index for California month by month


Average price for flights to California

A return flight between Sydney and Los Angeles is generally cheaper if you go in march ($ 1086 on average): this is the best time for travellers on a tight budget. In contrast, you may end up paying $ 690 more for your airline ticket to Los Angeles if you go in december.

Find the best price for your flight Flight prices to California




Where to go in California?

This table allows you to see the maximum temperature for each city and our opinion on the weather month by month (see colour legend below the table).

Cities jan.feb.mar.apr.mayjun.jul.aug.sep.oct.nov.dec.
Los Angeles 68°F68°F70°F74°F76°F79°F85°F86°F86°F81°F76°F67°F
San Francisco59°F61°F63°F67°F68°F72°F76°F76°F77°F74°F65°F59°F
Palm Springs63°F65°F68°F76°F81°F94°F97°F95°F92°F81°F70°F61°F
San Diego68°F67°F67°F68°F70°F74°F77°F79°F81°F77°F72°F67°F
Yosemite National Park40°F38°F40°F47°F54°F68°F76°F76°F70°F58°F47°F38°F
Angeles National Forest61°F59°F63°F68°F72°F81°F86°F86°F85°F76°F68°F59°F
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park67°F67°F72°F79°F85°F95°F99°F99°F95°F85°F74°F63°F
Big Sur59°F59°F59°F61°F63°F67°F70°F70°F72°F68°F65°F59°F
Cambria63°F63°F65°F67°F70°F74°F76°F77°F77°F74°F68°F61°F
Carmel-by-the-Sea59°F59°F59°F61°F63°F67°F70°F70°F72°F68°F65°F59°F
Channel Islands National Park63°F61°F61°F63°F63°F65°F68°F70°F72°F70°F67°F63°F
Chico59°F59°F63°F70°F79°F90°F99°F97°F92°F79°F65°F56°F
Cleveland National Forest67°F67°F68°F72°F74°F81°F86°F88°F86°F79°F72°F65°F
Crescent City52°F52°F54°F58°F61°F65°F68°F70°F68°F63°F56°F52°F
Death Valley National Park63°F67°F74°F81°F90°F103°F106°F106°F99°F85°F72°F61°F
Encinitas67°F65°F67°F68°F68°F72°F77°F79°F79°F76°F72°F65°F
Eureka56°F56°F56°F59°F61°F67°F70°F70°F70°F67°F59°F56°F
Furnace Creek63°F67°F74°F81°F90°F103°F106°F106°F99°F85°F72°F61°F
Gaviota65°F65°F67°F70°F72°F77°F81°F81°F81°F77°F70°F65°F
Golden Gate National Recreation Area59°F59°F61°F63°F65°F68°F70°F72°F74°F70°F65°F58°F

Legend:

perfect weather

good weather

tolerable weather

bad weather

very bad weather


About California

What can I do in California?

Beaches / swimming

Nature and countryside

Culture and heritage

Sports

Family travel

Crafts / shopping

Gastronomy

Nightlife




Is this weather information for California reliable?

Climate data for California has been gathered every day since January 2009. The analysis of these meteorological data for California allows us to determine the average for each month in Los Angeles , San Francisco, Palm Springs, San Diego, Yosemite National Park, Angeles National Forest, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Big Sur, and 81 other cities.

So yes: this data is reliable except in cases of temporary climate disruption in the region.

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