Photo: Pgnielsen79 · CC BY 3.0Santa Paula’s winters are milder than most of the U.S.; July afternoons average 85°
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 42°.
A year in Santa Paula at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Santa Paula’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Santa Paula’s place in California beside it.
What a year in Santa Paula feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
Frost is rare
Frost and day counts come from Camarillo Airport, 10 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Santa Paula’s center in zone 10a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 30°. 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 18 inches of rain a year
February is the wettest month and August the driest.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Santa Paula
71% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55°: December and January.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Camarillo Airport.
Living with Santa Paula’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 10a. Frost comes about 1 winter in 3, so tender plants can often stay out through winter.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: January, February, March, April, May, June, October, November and December. 4.2 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Santa Paula from natural hazards, earthquakes are the largest share (70%). Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Santa Paula and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Santa Paula yet.
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 Paula averaged 2.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.3°).
A bigger shift than in all but 90 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 Paula compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Santa Paula’s place among California’s.
Santa Paula weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Santa Paula’s center. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 68° | 42° | 4.1" | 52° – 61° |
| February | 68° | 43° | 4.5" | 51° – 61° |
| March | 70° | 45° | 2.9" | 52° – 63° |
| April | 73° | 47° | 0.8" | 56° – 64° |
| May | 76° | 51° | 0.3" | 60° – 69° |
| June | 80° | 56° | 0.0" | 64° – 71° |
| July | 85° | 60° | 0.0" | 69° – 78° |
| August | 86° | 59° | 0.0" | 69° – 76° |
| September | 85° | 57° | 0.1" | 68° – 76° |
| October | 80° | 52° | 0.7" | 62° – 73° |
| November | 73° | 45° | 1.0" | 53° – 63° |
| December | 67° | 41° | 3.0" | 51° – 59° |
| Year | 76° | 50° | 17.5" |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 52° to 63°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Santa Paula’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 Paula’s center.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Camarillo Airport, 10 miles from the town’s center, 220 ft lower; no station nearby passes every check; this is the nearest one in the same valley, flagged above.
- 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 Paula’s climate
What is the weather like in Santa Paula?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 42°. Milder January nights than 91% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 50% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Santa Paula in winter?
December nights average 41°. About 1 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 51°.
How hot does it get in Santa Paula?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 60°. About 9 days a year reach 90° (Camarillo Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Santa Paula?
Most years have no frost at all: a 32° night comes in about 29% of winters at Camarillo Airport, usually in December or January.
What growing zone is Santa Paula in?
Zone 10a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 30°.
What is the best time of year to visit Santa Paula?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), January, February, March, April, May, June, October, November and December. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Santa Paula getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 2.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than all but 90 U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Santa Paula.
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.