San Diego in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), San Diego sees average daytime highs around 29°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 256 mm of rain over about 31 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the driest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 29°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 49% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels muggy.
Winter is San Diego's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see San Diego's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 29°C
- 2nd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 21°C
- Rainfall
- 256 mm
- 31 wet days
- Avg wind
- 7 km/h
- Travel score
- 5.4
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in San Diego in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 29°C.
A typical winter day in San Diego reaches about 29°C and drops to 21°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in San Diego
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.
winter sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.
San Diego weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) 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 | 30° / 20° | 53 | 7 | 11.5 | 5.8 |
| Feb | 30° / 21° | 74 | 8 | 11.7 | 5.5 |
| Mar | 30° / 21° | 189 | 14.5 | 11.9 | 4.7 |
| Apr | 29° / 22° | 410 | 24.2 | 12.2 | 3.4 |
| May | 29° / 23° | 569 | 30.6 | 12.5 | 2.7 |
| Jun | 30° / 22° | 385 | 28.2 | 12.6 | 2.8 |
| Jul | 30° / 22° | 260 | 27.3 | 12.5 | 2.7 |
| Aug | 30° / 22° | 379 | 28.8 | 12.3 | 2.6 |
| Sep | 30° / 22° | 471 | 29.4 | 12.1 | 2.6 |
| Oct | 29° / 22° | 508 | 30 | 11.8 | 2.9 |
| Nov | 28° / 21° | 355 | 26.3 | 11.5 | 3.5 |
| Dec | 29° / 21° | 130 | 16 | 11.4 | 4.8 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 49% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
San Diego gets around 256 mm of rain over 31 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels muggy — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 7 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 11 h 24 min in early December to 11 h 48 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 5.4 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit San Diego?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a reasonable time to visit San Diego for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.
What to pack for San Diego in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, San Diego sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 21°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 31 days see rain.
UV index in San Diego in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter 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 San Diego peaks around April 12 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 12 at about 10 (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) | 11 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 10 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11 | Extreme |
| Feb | 13 | Extreme |
| Mar | 13 | Extreme |
| Apr | 14 | Extreme |
| May | 12 | Extreme |
| Jun | 13 | Extreme |
| Jul | 12 | Extreme |
| Aug | 13 | Extreme |
| Sep | 13 | Extreme |
| Oct | 12 | Extreme |
| Nov | 10 | Extreme |
| Dec | 10 | Very high |
Air quality in San Diego in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in San Diego is worst in March — around 34 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.6× the cleanest month (December, 9 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) | 11 | 19 | 34 | 23 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 17 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 9 |
| Level | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11 | Good |
| Feb | 19 | Moderate |
| Mar | 34 | Moderate |
| Apr | 23 | Moderate |
| May | 20 | Moderate |
| Jun | 21 | Moderate |
| Jul | 21 | Moderate |
| Aug | 17 | Moderate |
| Sep | 13 | Moderate |
| Oct | 12 | Good |
| Nov | 10 | Good |
| Dec | 9 | Good |
Where is San Diego?
San Diego sits at 10.3°N, 73.2°W, 180 m above sea level, in Colombia. The nearest listed city is Valledupar, 17 km away.
Topography around San Diego
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of San Diego.
Within 3 km, the terrain around San Diego has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 215 m around an average of 170 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,747 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,632 m.
The land around San Diego is covered by grassland (49%) and trees (40%) within 3 km, trees (55%) and grassland (38%) within 16 km, and trees (64%) and grassland (31%) within 80 km.
Colombia travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 3
- Reconsider Travel
- Power plugs
- Type A / B
- 120 / 240 V · 60 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 38% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $8,562
- 2025
- Happiness
- 6.0 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 74%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 24.9
- per 100k, 2023
- Road deaths
- 15.4
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- Upper middle
- World Bank
- English
- Low
- EF EPI 480
- 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 San Diego (10.3338°, -73.1805°, elevation 180 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.