Photo: Don DeBold from San Jose, CA, USA · CC BY 2.0Hardly any U.S. towns see fresher July days than Santa Cruz
The coldest hours of a January night bottom out at 43° on average. By January nights alone, it runs milder than 91% of U.S. towns. Decade by decade the climate has edged up, 1.8° above 1901–2000. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings come into their own from March to November, with highs of 63–72°.
A year in Santa Cruz at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Santa Cruz’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Santa Cruz’s place in California beside it.
What a year in Santa Cruz feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 323 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by January 29 and the first by December 13. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Santa Cruz, CA, 2.2 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Santa Cruz’s center in zone 10a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 31°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 28 inches of rain a year
January is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain falls on about 65 days a year. Snow is rare: about 0.0" in a normal year at Santa Cruz, CA, so most winters see none.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Santa Cruz
93% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from December through March.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Santa Cruz, CA.
Living with Santa Cruz’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
323 frost-free days in zone 10a. The last frost comes by Jan 29 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Dec 13.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October and November. 76 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Santa Cruz from natural hazards, earthquakes are the largest share (60%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Santa Cruz and its neighbors
Paradise Park has the coldest January nights next door (40°, 3° colder) and Paradise Park the hottest July afternoons (77°, 7° warmer). Differences under a degree are within what the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Santa Cruz’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Cruz, CA | 43° | 70° | 28" | 0.0" |
| Port Angeles, WA | 37° | 69° | 28" | 0.4" |
| Makawao, HI | 53° | 75° | 23" | 0.0" |
| Scappoose, OR | 34° | 81° | 41" | 0.8" |
| Nantucket, MA | 26° | 76° | 44" | 25" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Santa Cruz averaged 1.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.5°).
A bigger shift than in 77% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods.
How Santa Cruz compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Santa Cruz’s place among California’s.
Santa Cruz weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Santa Cruz’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Santa Cruz, CA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 61° | 43° | 5.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 48° – 56° |
| February | 61° | 44° | 5.6" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 49° – 58° |
| March | 63° | 45° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 49° – 60° |
| April | 65° | 46° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 52° – 60° |
| May | 67° | 49° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 54° – 62° |
| June | 70° | 52° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 57° – 63° |
| July | 70° | 54° | 0.0" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 59° – 67° |
| August | 71° | 55° | 0.0" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 60° – 68° |
| September | 72° | 53° | 0.1" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 59° – 68° |
| October | 70° | 50° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 58° – 65° |
| November | 65° | 45° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 49° – 58° |
| December | 60° | 42° | 5.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 47° – 54° |
| Year | 66° | 48° | 28.1" | 0.0" | 65 | 0 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 49° to 60°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Santa Cruz’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Santa Cruz’s center.
- Snow: Santa Cruz, CA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Santa Cruz, CA, 2.2 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Santa Cruz’s climate
What is the weather like in Santa Cruz?
A typical July afternoon reaches 70°, a January night drops to 43°, and snow is almost unheard of. Milder January nights than 91% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 83 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Santa Cruz in winter?
December nights average 42°. About 6 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 47°.
How much snow does Santa Cruz get?
About 0.0 inches in a normal winter at Santa Cruz, CA, so most winters see none.
How hot does it get in Santa Cruz?
July, with a typical high of 70° and a low of 54°. About 6 days a year reach 90° (Santa Cruz, CA).
When is the first and last frost in Santa Cruz?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by January 29 and the first fall frost by December 13, about 323 frost-free days, at Santa Cruz, CA.
What growing zone is Santa Cruz in?
Zone 10a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 31°.
What is the best time of year to visit Santa Cruz?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October and November. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Santa Cruz getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 77% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Santa Cruz.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.