Paso Robles in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), Paso Robles sees average daytime highs around 59°F and overnight lows near 40°F, with 8.5 in of rain over about 21 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.

Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 59°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.

Winter is Paso Robles's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Paso Robles's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
59°F
coldest season of the year
Avg overnight low
40°F
Rainfall
8.5 in
21 wet days
Avg wind
5 mph
Travel score
5.1
weakest season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Paso Robles in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 59°F.

A typical winter day in Paso Robles reaches about 59°F and drops to 40°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest December.

20°40°60°80°DecJanFeb

Paso Robles 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.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan59° / 40°3.16.99.95.0
Feb61° / 41°3.17.610.75.3
Mar65° / 44°2.46.211.76.6
Apr69° / 46°0.93.412.97.8
May76° / 51°0.41.613.98.9
Jun82° / 56°0.10.314.48.4
Jul85° / 60°0.00.114.27.3
Aug85° / 60°0.00.213.37.2
Sep82° / 57°0.10.512.28.3
Oct75° / 52°0.61.811.18.9
Nov65° / 44°1.03.210.17.2
Dec59° / 39°2.36.19.65.0

Cloud cover in Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitation

Paso Robles gets around 8.5 in of rain over 21 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%40%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Winter

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Wind in Winter

Winds average 5 mph across winter.

0246810DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Winter

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 48 min in early December to 11 h 06 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMDecJanFeb

Solar energy in Winter

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 3.1 kWh/m².

012345DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in winter

Is winter a good time to visit Paso Robles?

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.

5.1
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
0.3
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

winter is a reasonable time to visit Paso Robles for sightseeing.

What to pack for Paso Robles in Winter

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

In winter, Paso Robles sees daytime highs around 59°F and nights near 40°F. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 21 days see rain.

a warm layer

Sea temperature near Paso Robles in Winter

The nearest coast averages about 56°F across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 21 mi away) is warmest in September at about 60°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°62°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan56Bracing
Feb56Bracing
Mar55Bracing
Apr54Bracing
May54Bracing
Jun56Bracing
Jul58Bracing
Aug59Cool
Sep60Cool
Oct60Cool
Nov58Bracing
Dec57Bracing

UV index in Paso Robles in Winter

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Paso Robles peaks around June 21 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 14 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 21UV 11Dec 14UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug10Extreme
Sep7Very high
Oct6High
Nov3Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Paso Robles in Winter

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Paso Robles is worst in August — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.2× the cleanest month (June, 4 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 2017 µg/m³Jun 114 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb7Good
Mar7Good
Apr6Good
May5Good
Jun4Good
Jul10Good
Aug18Moderate
Sep15Moderate
Oct8Good
Nov6Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Paso Robles?

Paso Robles sits at 35.6°N, 120.7°W, 732 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Atascadero, 9.3 mi away.

Topography around Paso Robles

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Paso Robles has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 876 ft around an average of 899 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,716 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,095 ft.

The land around Paso Robles is covered by grassland (42%) and artificial surfaces (37%) within 2 miles, grassland (71%) within 10 miles, and grassland (55%) and water (20%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
876 ft
10 miles
1,716 ft
50 miles
5,095 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Winter weather nearby: Atascadero 9.3 mi · San Luis Obispo 24 mi · Arroyo Grande 35 mi · Coalinga 40 mi · Nipomo 42 mi · Santa Maria 48 mi · Orcutt 55 mi · Greenfield 57 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 Paso Robles (35.6266°, -120.691°, elevation 732 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.