Photo: bill mulder from santa margarita, usa · CC BY 2.0Santa Margarita reaches 100° on about 21 days a year, more than 95% of U.S. towns
In January the night’s low is typically 38°. By precipitation alone, it ranks drier than 88% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 1.9° higher. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from December, when means dip under 50°.
A year in Santa Margarita at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Santa Margarita’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Santa Margarita’s place in California beside it.
What a year in Santa Margarita feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 238 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 15 and the first by November 10. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Paso Robles, CA, 17 miles from the town’s center, 280 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Santa Margarita’s center in zone 9a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 23°. 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 23 inches of rain a year
January is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain falls on about 52 days a year. Snow is rare: about 0.0" in a normal year at Santa Margarita Boost, CA, so most winters see none.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Santa Margarita
77% of the work is heating. 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 Paso Robles, CA.
Living with Santa Margarita’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
238 frost-free days in zone 9a. The last frost comes by Mar 15 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Nov 10.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: March, April, May, June, October and November. 0.2 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Santa Margarita from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (50%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Santa Margarita and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Santa Margarita yet.
Climates most like Santa Margarita’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 Margarita, CA | 38° | 86° | 23" | 0.0" |
| Green, OR | 37° | 86° | 32" | 0.0" |
| Sierra Vista Southeast, AZ | 32° | 91° | 15" | 0.7" |
| Alpine, TX | 30° | 90° | 15" | 2.2" |
| College Place, WA | 30° | 91° | 15" | 7.2" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Santa Margarita averaged 1.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.6°).
A bigger shift than in 84% 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 Margarita compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Santa Margarita’s place among California’s.
Santa Margarita weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Santa Margarita’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Santa Margarita Boost, CA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 62° | 38° | 5.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 46° – 55° |
| February | 63° | 39° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 47° – 56° |
| March | 67° | 41° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 47° – 60° |
| April | 71° | 43° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 52° – 61° |
| May | 76° | 47° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 57° – 67° |
| June | 82° | 50° | 0.1" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 62° – 70° |
| July | 86° | 54° | 0.0" | 0.0" | 0 | 0 | 67° – 75° |
| August | 87° | 54° | 0.0" | 0.0" | 0 | 0 | 68° – 74° |
| September | 85° | 51° | 0.1" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 64° – 72° |
| October | 79° | 47° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 58° – 68° |
| November | 69° | 41° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 48° – 59° |
| December | 62° | 37° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 46° – 54° |
| Year | 74° | 45° | 23.1" | 0.0" | 52 | 0 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 47° to 60°. August is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Santa Margarita’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 Margarita’s center.
- Snow: Santa Margarita Boost, CA (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Paso Robles, CA, 17 miles from the town’s center, 280 ft lower; 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 Margarita’s climate
What is the weather like in Santa Margarita?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 38°, and snow is almost unheard of. Milder January nights than 85% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 56% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Santa Margarita in winter?
December nights average 37°. About 54 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 46°.
How much snow does Santa Margarita get?
About 0.0 inches in a normal winter at Santa Margarita Boost, CA, so most winters see none.
How hot does it get in Santa Margarita?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 54°. About 80 days a year reach 90° and 21 reach 100° (Paso Robles, CA).
When is the first and last frost in Santa Margarita?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 15 and the first fall frost by November 10, about 238 frost-free days, at Paso Robles, CA.
What growing zone is Santa Margarita in?
Zone 9a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 23°.
What is the best time of year to visit Santa Margarita?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), March, April, May, June, October and November. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Santa Margarita getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 84% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Santa Margarita.
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.