Big Sur weather in August

In August, Big Sur sees average daytime highs of 67°F and overnight lows near 55°F, with 0.1 in of rain across 0.3 wet days and about 13.4 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 67°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 90% of the time in August, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 54 min at the start of August to 12 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Big Sur's 1st-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Big Sur's year-round climate.

Daytime high
67°
1st warmest
Overnight low
55°
12th coldest
Rainfall
0.1 in
0.3 wet days
Daylight
13 h 24 min
5:30 AM – 6:53 PM
Cloud cover
16%
1st clearest
Wind
8 mph
6th windiest
Solar energy
7.33 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.5
out of 10

Big Sur is region in Monterey County, California, United States.

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 67°F through the month.

A typical August day in Big Sur reaches about 67°F in the afternoon and slips back to 55°F overnight — a 12°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 63°F and 73°F. Set against its neighbours, August runs on par with July and on par with September.

50°60°70°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16755
26755
36755
46755
56755
66755
76755
86755
96755
106755
116755
126755
136755
146755
156755
166755
176755
186755
196755
206755
216755
226755
236755
246755
256755
266755
276755
286855
296855
306855
316855

Big Sur weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 1st-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan55° / 46°5.19.39.83.7
Feb55° / 46°4.89.310.63.6
Mar56° / 46°3.48.311.74.1
Apr57° / 47°1.75.712.94.7
May59° / 49°0.72.613.95.8
Jun63° / 51°0.10.414.47.4
Jul66° / 54°0.00.114.28.3
Aug67° / 55°0.10.313.48.5
Sep67° / 55°0.10.612.28.4
Oct65° / 53°0.92.411.17.6
Nov59° / 49°2.26.110.15.3
Dec55° / 46°4.59.29.63.8

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 90% of the time in August, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 5% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 5%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1955
2955
3955
4955
5955
6946
7946
8946
9946
10946
11946
12946
13946
14946
15946
16946
17946
18946
19946
20946
21955
22955
23955
24955
25955
26955
27964
28964
29964
30964
31964

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Big Sur gets around 0.1 in of rain over 0.3 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 1% and peaks near 2% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
110
121
131
141
151
161
171
181
191
201
211
222
232
242
252
262
272
281
291
301
311

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 89% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
189110
290100
390100
490100
59190
69190
79280
89280
99280
109280
119280
129280
139280
149280
159190
169190
1790100
1889110
1989110
2088120
2188120
2287130
2387130
2486140
2586140
2686140
2786140
2886140
2986140
3086131
3186131

Wind in August

Winds average 8 mph in August.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 8 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
38light breeze
48light breeze
58light breeze
68light breeze
78light breeze
88light breeze
98light breeze
108light breeze
118light breeze
128light breeze
138light breeze
148light breeze
158light breeze
168light breeze
178light breeze
188light breeze
198light breeze
208light breeze
218light breeze
228light breeze
238light breeze
248light breeze
258light breeze
268light breeze
278light breeze
288light breeze
298light breeze
308light breeze
318light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 54 min at the start of August to 12 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 66 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 5:17 AM to 5:42 AM, and sunset from 7:09 PM to 6:33 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.95:177:09
213.85:187:08
313.85:197:07
413.85:207:06
513.75:217:05
613.75:217:04
713.75:227:03
813.75:237:02
913.65:247:01
1013.65:257:00
1113.65:256:59
1213.55:266:58
1313.55:276:57
1413.55:286:55
1513.45:296:54
1613.45:306:53
1713.45:306:52
1813.35:316:51
1913.35:326:49
2013.35:336:48
2113.25:346:47
2213.25:356:45
2313.15:356:44
2413.15:366:43
2513.15:376:41
2613.05:386:40
2713.05:396:38
2813.05:396:37
2912.95:406:36
3012.95:416:34
3112.85:426:33

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 7.33 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.59 kWh/m² to a high of 8.18 kWh/m² in June across the year — August's 7.33 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.7Intense
27.7Intense
37.7Intense
47.7Intense
57.6Intense
67.6Intense
77.6Intense
87.6Intense
97.5Intense
107.5Intense
117.5Intense
127.5Intense
137.4Intense
147.4Intense
157.4Intense
167.3Intense
177.3Intense
187.3Intense
197.3Intense
207.2Intense
217.2Intense
227.2Intense
237.1Intense
247.1Intense
257.0Intense
267.0Intense
277.0Intense
287.0Intense
296.9Intense
306.9Intense
316.8Intense
Planning a trip in August

Hazard calendar for Big Sur

In seasonPeak

None of Big Sur's seasonal hazards are active in August. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Big Sur's rainy season runs December–March, 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 Big Sur?

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

8.5
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
4.1
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

August is one of the better times to visit Big Sur for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Big Sur in August

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

In August, Big Sur sees daytime highs around 67°F and nights near 55°F. Pack sun protection.

sun protection

Sea temperature near Big Sur in August

The nearest coast averages about 58°F 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 8 mi away) is warmest in September at about 59°F and coldest in April near 54°F.

The water stays below 68°F all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

52°54°56°58°60°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan55Bracing
Feb55Bracing
Mar55Bracing
Apr54Bracing
May54Bracing
Jun55Bracing
Jul57Bracing
Aug58Bracing
Sep59Bracing
Oct58Bracing
Nov57Bracing
Dec56Bracing

UV index in Big Sur in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 10 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Big Sur peaks around June 22 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 12 at about 2 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 22UV 11Dec 12UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep7High
Oct5High
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Big Sur 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 Big Sur is worst in September — around 27 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 7.0× the cleanest month (December, 4 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodSep 1027 µg/m³Dec 174 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan4Good
Feb5Good
Mar5Good
Apr5Good
May5Good
Jun5Good
Jul16Moderate
Aug25Moderate
Sep27Moderate
Oct6Good
Nov4Good
Dec4Good
Location & terrain

Where is Big Sur?

Big Sur sits at 36.3°N, 121.8°W, 0 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Monterey, 24 mi away.

Topography around Big Sur

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Big Sur.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Big Sur has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,455 ft around an average of 1,145 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,918 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,758 ft.

The land around Big Sur is covered by trees (77%) within 2 miles, water (45%) and trees (43%) within 10 miles, and water (40%), grassland (27%) and trees (22%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
3,455 ft
10 miles
4,918 ft
50 miles
5,758 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
August weather nearby: Monterey 24 mi · Seaside 24 mi · Pacific Grove 25 mi · Marina 29 mi · Soledad 29 mi · Salinas 29 mi · Greenfield 32 mi · Prunedale 36 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

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 Big Sur (36.2702°, -121.8075°, elevation 0 ft), 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).