Palo Alto in Fall
In fall (September, October and November), Palo Alto sees average daytime highs around 69°F and overnight lows near 54°F, with 3.0 in of rain over about 9 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the 3rd-wettest season.
Over the season highs ease from about 74°F in early September to 59°F by late November. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 62% of the time across fall, and the air most often feels dry.
Fall is Palo Alto's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Palo Alto's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 69°F
- 2nd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 54°F
- Rainfall
- 3.0 in
- 9 wet days
- Avg wind
- 4 mph
- Travel score
- 7.8
- 2nd-best season
- Months
- Sep · Oct · Nov
Temperature in Palo Alto in Fall
Over the season highs ease from about 74°F in early September to 59°F by late November.
A typical fall day in Palo Alto reaches about 69°F and drops to 54°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is September, the coolest November.
Palo Alto 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 (°F) | Rainfall (inches) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57° / 45° | 3.9 | 9.4 | 9.7 | 4.1 |
| Feb | 59° / 47° | 4.2 | 9.3 | 10.6 | 4.5 |
| Mar | 61° / 48° | 3.2 | 9.1 | 11.7 | 5.3 |
| Apr | 63° / 49° | 1.6 | 5.6 | 12.9 | 6.4 |
| May | 66° / 52° | 0.8 | 3.3 | 14 | 7.4 |
| Jun | 70° / 54° | 0.2 | 0.9 | 14.5 | 8.5 |
| Jul | 73° / 56° | 0.0 | 0.2 | 14.3 | 9.1 |
| Aug | 74° / 57° | 0.0 | 0.1 | 13.4 | 9.2 |
| Sep | 74° / 57° | 0.1 | 0.4 | 12.3 | 9.2 |
| Oct | 71° / 54° | 0.9 | 3 | 11 | 8.2 |
| Nov | 63° / 49° | 2.0 | 6 | 10 | 6.1 |
| Dec | 57° / 46° | 3.7 | 9.3 | 9.5 | 4.1 |
Cloud cover in Fall
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 62% of the time across fall.
Chance of precipitation in Fall
Palo Alto gets around 3.0 in of rain over 9 wet days across fall. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Fall
Most of fall feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Fall
Winds average 4 mph across fall.
Sunrise & sunset in Fall
Daylight runs from about 12 h 48 min in early September to 9 h 36 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 4.3 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Palo Alto
In fall, Palo Alto overlaps its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.
Palo Alto's rainy season runs November–March, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is fall a good time to visit Palo Alto?
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 one of the better times to visit Palo Alto for general sightseeing.
What to pack for Palo Alto in Fall
From fall's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In fall, Palo Alto sees daytime highs around 69°F and nights near 54°F. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection. About 9 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Palo Alto in Fall
The nearest coast averages about 58°F 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 14 mi away) is warmest in August 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°F) | 54 | 54 | 54 | 54 | 54 | 55 | 57 | 59 | 59 | 58 | 56 | 55 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°F) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 54 | Bracing |
| Feb | 54 | Bracing |
| Mar | 54 | Bracing |
| Apr | 54 | Bracing |
| May | 54 | Bracing |
| Jun | 55 | Bracing |
| Jul | 57 | Bracing |
| Aug | 59 | Bracing |
| Sep | 59 | Bracing |
| Oct | 58 | Bracing |
| Nov | 56 | Bracing |
| Dec | 55 | Bracing |
UV index in Palo Alto in Fall
Clear-sky midday UV across fall averages around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Palo Alto peaks around June 23 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 2 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | High | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2 | Moderate |
| Feb | 4 | Moderate |
| Mar | 5 | Moderate |
| Apr | 7 | High |
| May | 8 | Very high |
| Jun | 10 | Extreme |
| Jul | 10 | Extreme |
| Aug | 10 | Very high |
| Sep | 6 | High |
| Oct | 5 | High |
| Nov | 2 | Moderate |
| Dec | 2 | Moderate |
Air quality in Palo Alto 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 Palo Alto is worst in August — around 25 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (June, 10 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) | 15 | 18 | 16 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 25 | 17 | 20 | 18 | 13 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15 | Moderate |
| Feb | 18 | Moderate |
| Mar | 16 | Moderate |
| Apr | 12 | Moderate |
| May | 10 | Good |
| Jun | 10 | Good |
| Jul | 11 | Good |
| Aug | 25 | Moderate |
| Sep | 17 | Moderate |
| Oct | 20 | Moderate |
| Nov | 18 | Moderate |
| Dec | 13 | Moderate |
Where is Palo Alto?
Palo Alto sits at 37.4°N, 122.1°W, 30 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is East Palo Alto, 1.9 mi away.
Topography around Palo Alto
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Palo Alto.
Within 2 miles, the terrain around Palo Alto has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 167 ft around an average of 43 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,949 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,452 ft.
The land around Palo Alto is covered by artificial surfaces (50%) and trees (42%) within 2 miles, trees (35%), artificial surfaces (25%) and water (25%) within 10 miles, and water (37%), trees (25%) and grassland (23%) within 50 miles.
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
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 Palo Alto (37.4419°, -122.143°, elevation 30 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.