San Luis Obispo, CA

Climate overview — based on NOAA 1991-2020 normals from SAN LUIS OBISPO AP, CA US.

Csb Warm-summer Mediterranean climate 9b USDA hardiness Zone 9b

Year-round temperatures (°F)

40° 50° 60° 70° 80° J F M A M J J A S O N D
Avg high Avg low

Climate summary

San Luis Obispo has an annual average temperature of 59.7°F with about 17.9 inches of precipitation per year. The warmest month is September (average high 79.5°F), and the coldest is December (average low 40.2°F). January is typically the wettest month (3.86 in) and August the driest (0.01 in).

Pleasant months
4 / 12
avg high 65–80°F, low ≥ 50°F
Annual swing
14.5°F
warmest to coldest month
Heating need
2,049
Cooling need
138

Best time to visit San Luis Obispo

Full guide →

Climate change signal

All-time records →

196 of 366 (53.6%) of San Luis Obispo's all-time daily heat records have been set since 2015. If records were spread evenly across the station's history, only about 5% would fall in any given decade.

1990s
15
2000s
95
2010s
158
2020s
98

Bars: number of all-time daily heat records still standing that were set in each decade.

Monthly averages

Month Avg High Avg Low Avg Temp Precipitation Snow Rainy days
January 65.0°F 40.6°F 52.8°F 3.86 in 8
February 65.1°F 42.4°F 53.8°F 3.54 in 10
March 66.7°F 44.5°F 55.6°F 3.17 in 9
April 69.1°F 45.6°F 57.4°F 1.05 in 6
May 72.0°F 47.8°F 59.9°F 0.47 in 3
June 75.2°F 51.1°F 63.2°F 0.10 in 1
July 78.0°F 54.3°F 66.1°F 0.08 in 0
August 79.3°F 54.9°F 67.1°F 0.01 in 1
September 79.5°F 53.4°F 66.4°F 0.04 in 1
October 77.2°F 49.7°F 63.5°F 0.92 in 4
November 71.1°F 44.7°F 57.9°F 1.43 in 6
December 64.9°F 40.2°F 52.6°F 3.27 in 9

Climate twins of San Luis Obispo

Why these? →

The most climatically similar US cities at least 140 miles away (by monthly temperature + precipitation pattern).

Frost dates
Last spring / first fall frost
All-time records
Hottest, coldest, wettest
Planting calendar
What to plant, and when

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