Merced weather in August

In August, Merced sees average daytime highs of 95°F and overnight lows near 67°F, with 0.0 in of rain across 0.1 wet days and about 13.4 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 95°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 91% 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 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Merced's 1st-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Merced's year-round climate.

Daytime high
95°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
67°
11th coldest
Rainfall
0.0 in
0.1 wet days
Daylight
13 h 24 min
5:23 AM – 6:49 PM
Cloud cover
9%
1st clearest
Wind
6 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
7.49 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.3
out of 10

Merced is city in and county seat of Merced County, California, United States.

Density
1,365/km²
people per km²
Founded
1889

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 95°F through the month.

A typical August day in Merced reaches about 95°F in the afternoon and slips back to 67°F overnight — a 28°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 89°F and 102°F. Set against its neighbours, August runs about 1°F cooler than July and about 6°F warmer than September.

60°70°80°90°100°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
19768
29768
39768
49668
59668
69668
79668
89668
99668
109668
119668
129667
139667
149667
159667
169667
179667
189567
199567
209567
219567
229567
239567
249567
259567
269467
279466
289466
299466
309466
319466

How August really feels in Merced

Once humidity and wind are folded in, August averages 31 days that feel above 90°F and 0 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
31
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in August is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Merced weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 2nd-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan58° / 42°3.58.19.74.7
Feb63° / 44°3.18.410.65.7
Mar68° / 48°2.87.711.76.8
Apr75° / 52°1.24.712.97.9
May83° / 58°0.72.8147.1
Jun92° / 64°0.10.614.54.6
Jul97° / 68°0.00.214.32.8
Aug95° / 67°0.00.113.43.3
Sep90° / 63°0.10.412.35.4
Oct79° / 55°0.82.3118.3
Nov67° / 46°1.54.8107.1
Dec58° / 41°3.07.49.54.7

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 91% of the time in August, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 4% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 5%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1946
2946
3946
4946
5955
6955
7955
8955
9955
10955
11955
12955
13955
14955
15955
16955
17955
18955
19955
20955
21955
22955
23955
24964
25964
26964
27964
28964
29964
30964
31964

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Merced gets around 0.0 in of rain over 0.1 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 0% and peaks near 1% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
110
120
130
140
150
160
170
180
190
200
210
220
230
240
250
261
271
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 80% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1781840
2781840
3791740
4791740
5791740
6791740
7791740
8791740
9791740
10791740
11801730
12801730
13801730
14801730
15801730
16801730
17801730
18801730
19801730
20801730
21801730
22811630
23811630
24811630
25811630
26811630
27811630
28821530
29811531
30821431
31831331

Wind in August

Winds average 6 mph in August.

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

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)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 13 h 54 min at the start of August to 12 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 60 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 5:10 AM to 5:36 AM, and sunset from 7:06 PM to 6:28 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.95:107:06
213.95:117:05
313.95:127:04
413.85:127:03
513.85:137:02
613.85:147:01
713.85:157:00
813.75:166:59
913.75:176:58
1013.75:186:57
1113.65:186:56
1213.65:196:54
1313.65:206:53
1413.55:216:52
1513.55:226:51
1613.45:236:49
1713.45:246:48
1813.45:246:47
1913.35:256:45
2013.35:266:44
2113.35:276:43
2213.25:286:41
2313.25:296:40
2413.15:306:39
2513.15:306:37
2613.15:316:36
2713.05:326:34
2813.05:336:33
2913.05:346:31
3012.95:356:30
3112.95:366:28

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 7.49 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.4 kWh/m² to a high of 8.29 kWh/m² in June across the year — August's 7.49 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.9Intense
27.9Intense
37.9Intense
47.8Intense
57.8Intense
67.8Intense
77.8Intense
87.8Intense
97.7Intense
107.7Intense
117.7Intense
127.6Intense
137.6Intense
147.6Intense
157.5Intense
167.5Intense
177.5Intense
187.4Intense
197.4Intense
207.4Intense
217.3Intense
227.3Intense
237.2Intense
247.2Intense
257.2Intense
267.1Intense
277.1Intense
287.0Intense
297.0Intense
307.0Intense
316.9Intense
Planning a trip in August

Is August a good time to visit Merced?

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

3.3
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
7.1
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

August is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Merced. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Merced in August

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

In August, Merced sees daytime highs around 95°F and nights near 67°F. Pack light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Merced 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 Merced peaks around June 20 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 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 highVery highHighModerateJun 20UV 10Dec 17UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun10Extreme
Jul10Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Merced 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 Merced is worst in August — around 29 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.6× the cleanest month (June, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateAug 1928 µg/m³Jun 118 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan13Moderate
Feb14Moderate
Mar14Moderate
Apr11Good
May9Good
Jun8Good
Jul15Moderate
Aug29Moderate
Sep22Moderate
Oct17Moderate
Nov15Moderate
Dec12Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Merced?

Merced sits at 37.3°N, 120.5°W, 171 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Atwater, 7.5 mi away.

Topography around Merced

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Merced has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 62 ft around an average of 171 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 459 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 7,028 ft.

The land around Merced is covered by artificial surfaces (59%) and trees (21%) within 2 miles, grassland (38%), cropland (29%) and trees (23%) within 10 miles, and grassland (45%) and trees (31%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
62 ft
10 miles
459 ft
50 miles
7,028 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
August weather nearby: Atwater 7.5 mi · Chowchilla 17 mi · Turlock 24 mi · Los Banos 26 mi · Ceres 33 mi · Madera 33 mi · Modesto 37 mi · Patterson 37 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 Merced (37.3022°, -120.483°, elevation 171 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. 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).