Santa Cruz weather in August

In August, Santa Cruz sees average daytime highs of 15°C and overnight lows near 5°C, with 108 mm of rain across 7.8 wet days and about 10.7 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 14°C in the first days to 16°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time in August, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 12 min at the start of August to 11 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Santa Cruz's 9th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Santa Cruz's year-round climate.

Daytime high
15°
10th warmest
Overnight low
2nd coldest
Rainfall
108 mm
7.8 wet days
Daylight
10 h 42 min
8:29 AM – 7:10 PM
Cloud cover
59%
9th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
3.26 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.9
out of 10

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 14°C in the first days to 16°C by the end.

A typical August day in Santa Cruz reaches about 15°C in the afternoon and slips back to 5°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 12°C and 19°C. Set against its neighbours, August runs about 2°C warmer than July and about 3°C cooler than September.

10°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1144
2144
3144
4144
5144
6144
7154
8154
9154
10154
11154
12155
13155
14155
15155
16155
17155
18165
19165
20165
21165
22165
23165
24166
25166
26166
27166
28166
29166
30166
31166

Santa Cruz weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 10th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 14°30.614.17.7
Feb28° / 14°50.713.38.2
Mar26° / 12°81.412.38.8
Apr21° / 413.411.27.8
May17° / 115710.25.6
Jun14° / 19510.29.73.9
Jul14° / 1308.89.94.0
Aug15° / 1087.810.74.9
Sep18° / 585.811.86.4
Oct21° / 354.212.97.5
Nov25° / 10°132.213.88.6
Dec27° / 12°101.314.38.5

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 54%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14654
24654
34654
44555
54555
64555
74654
84654
94555
104654
114654
124753
134753
144753
154753
164753
174753
184654
194753
204753
214753
224654
234753
244753
254753
264654
274654
284654
294555
304654
314555

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Santa Cruz gets around 108 mm of rain over 7.8 wet days in August. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 25% and peaks near 27% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
127
226
326
426
526
626
726
826
926
1026
1125
1225
1325
1425
1524
1624
1724
1824
1924
2024
2124
2224
2324
2424
2524
2624
2724
2824
2924
3024
3124

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of August feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, August lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in August

Winds average 6 km/h in August.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 12 min at the start of August to 11 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 60 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 8:44 AM to 8:09 AM, and sunset from 6:59 PM to 7:22 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.28:446:59
210.38:437:00
310.38:427:00
410.38:417:01
510.48:417:02
610.48:407:03
710.48:397:03
810.48:387:04
910.58:377:05
1010.58:367:06
1110.58:347:06
1210.68:337:07
1310.68:327:08
1410.68:317:09
1510.78:307:10
1610.78:297:10
1710.78:287:11
1810.88:267:12
1910.88:257:13
2010.88:247:13
2110.98:237:14
2210.98:217:15
2310.98:207:16
2411.08:197:16
2511.08:187:17
2611.08:167:18
2711.18:157:19
2811.18:147:19
2911.18:127:20
3011.28:117:21
3111.28:097:22

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 3.26 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.09 kWh/m² to a high of 8.75 kWh/m² in December across the year — August's 3.26 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.8Moderate
22.8Moderate
32.9Moderate
42.9Moderate
52.9Moderate
63.0Moderate
73.0Moderate
83.0Moderate
93.0Moderate
103.1Moderate
113.1Moderate
123.1Moderate
133.2Moderate
143.2Moderate
153.3Moderate
163.3Moderate
173.3Moderate
183.4Moderate
193.4Moderate
203.4Moderate
213.5Moderate
223.5Moderate
233.5Moderate
243.5Moderate
253.6Moderate
263.6Moderate
273.7Moderate
283.7Moderate
293.7Moderate
303.8Moderate
313.8Moderate
Planning a trip in August

Hazard calendar for Santa Cruz

In seasonPeak

In August, Santa Cruz sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Santa Cruz's rainy season runs May–August, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is August a good time to visit Santa Cruz?

Our two travel scores rate August for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

4.9
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.3
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

August is a reasonable time to visit Santa Cruz for sightseeing.

What to pack for Santa Cruz in August

From August's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In August, Santa Cruz sees daytime highs around 15°C and nights near 5°C. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layer

Sea temperature near Santa Cruz in August

The nearest coast averages about 12°C in August — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 69 km away) is warmest in February at about 16°C and coldest in August near 12°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

10°12°14°16°18°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan16Cool
Feb16Cool
Mar16Cool
Apr15Bracing
May14Bracing
Jun13Bracing
Jul13Bracing
Aug12Bracing
Sep13Bracing
Oct13Bracing
Nov14Bracing
Dec15Bracing

UV index in Santa Cruz in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Santa Cruz peaks around January 16 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 15 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 16UV 13Jun 15UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar10Very high
Apr5High
May3Moderate
Jun2Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep6High
Oct9Very high
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Santa Cruz in August

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where August falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Santa Cruz is worst in May — around 41 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.1× the cleanest month (November, 19 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateMay 2040 µg/m³Nov 2319 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan34Moderate
Feb22Moderate
Mar22Moderate
Apr29Moderate
May41Poor
Jun37Poor
Jul37Poor
Aug35Moderate
Sep32Moderate
Oct24Moderate
Nov19Moderate
Dec19Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Santa Cruz?

Santa Cruz sits at 34.6°S, 71.4°W, 174 m above sea level, in Chile. The nearest listed city is Chimbarongo, 31 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 35 m around an average of 164 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,083 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,840 m.

The land around Santa Cruz is covered by cropland (41%) and trees (25%) within 3 km, trees (32%) and cropland (31%) within 16 km, and trees (36%) and grassland (28%) within 80 km.

3 km
35 m
16 km
1,083 m
80 km
3,840 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
August weather nearby: Chimbarongo 31 km · San Vicente 35 km · San Vicente de Tagua Tagua 35 km · Curicó 40 km · Sagrada Familia 40 km · Rengo 53 km · Molina 53 km · Pichilemu 65 km

Chile travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / F / L
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 48% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$17,995
2025
Happiness
6.3 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
6.3
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
14.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 517
Religion
Catholic 57%none 26%Evangelical or Protestant 16%other Christians and traditions related to Christ 1%

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 (-34.6388°, -71.3658°, elevation 174 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).