Santa Cruz in Fall
In fall (September, October and November), Santa Cruz sees average daytime highs around 28°C and overnight lows near 27°C, with 309 mm of rain over about 49 wet days across the season. It is the warmest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.
Across fall, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 28°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time across fall, and the air most often feels miserable.
Fall is Santa Cruz's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. Santa Cruz has little temperature swing across the year, so its calendar seasons blur — the season framing matters less here than for a place with four distinct seasons. For the whole year in context, see Santa Cruz's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 28°C
- warmest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 27°C
- Rainfall
- 309 mm
- 49 wet days
- Avg wind
- 27 km/h
- Travel score
- 5.1
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Sep · Oct · Nov
Temperature in Santa Cruz in Fall
Across fall, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 28°C.
A typical fall day in Santa Cruz reaches about 28°C and drops to 27°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is September, the coolest November.
How fall really feels in Santa Cruz
Once humidity and wind are folded in, fall brings about 71 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.
The story in fall is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.
Santa Cruz weather by month
How the three fall months (September, October and November) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26° / 25° | 31 | 10 | 11.3 | 7.2 |
| Feb | 26° / 25° | 15 | 5.3 | 11.6 | 7.8 |
| Mar | 26° / 25° | 11 | 3.6 | 11.9 | 7.9 |
| Apr | 27° / 26° | 19 | 4.8 | 12.3 | 7.2 |
| May | 27° / 26° | 28 | 5.2 | 12.6 | 7.0 |
| Jun | 27° / 27° | 20 | 5.3 | 12.7 | 7.0 |
| Jul | 27° / 27° | 22 | 6.1 | 12.7 | 7.1 |
| Aug | 28° / 27° | 26 | 7.5 | 12.4 | 6.7 |
| Sep | 28° / 27° | 65 | 11.7 | 12.1 | 5.5 |
| Oct | 28° / 27° | 110 | 17.8 | 11.7 | 4.9 |
| Nov | 28° / 26° | 135 | 19.7 | 11.4 | 5.0 |
| Dec | 27° / 26° | 64 | 14.5 | 11.3 | 6.1 |
Cloud cover in Fall
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time across fall.
Chance of precipitation in Fall
Santa Cruz gets around 309 mm of rain over 49 wet days across fall. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Fall
Most of fall feels miserable — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Fall
Winds average 27 km/h across fall.
Sunrise & sunset in Fall
Daylight runs from about 12 h 12 min in early September to 11 h 18 min by late November. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Fall
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across fall, about 5.6 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Santa Cruz
In fall, Santa Cruz overlaps its atlantic hurricane and rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.
Santa Cruz sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.
Santa Cruz's rainy season runs September–December, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is fall a good time to visit Santa Cruz?
Our two travel scores rate fall for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
fall is a reasonable time to visit Santa Cruz for sightseeing.
What to pack for Santa Cruz in Fall
From fall's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In fall, Santa Cruz sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 27°C. Pack light clothes, rain gear, sun protection and a windbreaker. About 49 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Santa Cruz in Fall
The nearest coast averages about 29°C across fall — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 17 km away) is warmest in September at about 29°C and coldest in February near 26°C.
The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 27 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 27 |
| Comfort | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Warm |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27 | Warm |
| Feb | 26 | Warm |
| Mar | 26 | Warm |
| Apr | 27 | Warm |
| May | 27 | Warm |
| Jun | 28 | Warm |
| Jul | 28 | Warm |
| Aug | 28 | Tropical |
| Sep | 29 | Tropical |
| Oct | 29 | Tropical |
| Nov | 28 | Tropical |
| Dec | 27 | Warm |
UV index in Santa Cruz in Fall
Clear-sky midday UV across fall averages around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Santa Cruz peaks around March 24 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 13 at about 9 (very high).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 10 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 8 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10 | Extreme |
| Feb | 12 | Extreme |
| Mar | 13 | Extreme |
| Apr | 13 | Extreme |
| May | 12 | Extreme |
| Jun | 12 | Extreme |
| Jul | 11 | Extreme |
| Aug | 12 | Extreme |
| Sep | 12 | Extreme |
| Oct | 11 | Extreme |
| Nov | 9 | Very high |
| Dec | 8 | Very high |
Air quality in Santa Cruz in Fall
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where fall falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Santa Cruz is worst in June — around 34 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.0× the cleanest month (December, 11 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 12 | 15 | 15 | 20 | 28 | 34 | 29 | 22 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 11 |
| Level | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 12 | Good |
| Feb | 15 | Moderate |
| Mar | 15 | Moderate |
| Apr | 20 | Moderate |
| May | 28 | Moderate |
| Jun | 34 | Moderate |
| Jul | 29 | Moderate |
| Aug | 22 | Moderate |
| Sep | 16 | Moderate |
| Oct | 14 | Moderate |
| Nov | 12 | Good |
| Dec | 11 | Good |
Where is Santa Cruz?
Santa Cruz sits at 12.5°N, 70.0°W, 34 m above sea level, in Aruba. The nearest listed city is Oranjestad, 5.0 km away.
Topography around Santa Cruz
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Santa Cruz.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Santa Cruz has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 143 m around an average of 35 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 184 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 731 m.
The land around Santa Cruz is covered by shrubs (39%) and artificial surfaces (39%) within 3 km, water (78%) within 16 km, and water (84%) within 80 km.
Aruba travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 1
- Exercise Normal Precautions
- Power plugs
- Type A / B / F
- 127 V · 60 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 75% of US
- price level, 2024
- GDP per capita
- $38,591
- 2024
- Homicide rate
- 1.9
- per 100k, 2014
- Income group
- High
- World Bank
- Religion
Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Santa Cruz (12.5095°, -69.9809°, elevation 34 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.