Poway in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Poway sees average daytime highs around 64°F and overnight lows near 45°F, with 9.0 in of rain over about 19 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 64°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 48% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Poway's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Poway's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 64°F
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 45°F
- Rainfall
- 9.0 in
- 19 wet days
- Avg wind
- 4 mph
- Travel score
- 6.6
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Poway in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 64°F.
A typical winter day in Poway reaches about 64°F and drops to 45°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is January, the coolest December.
Poway 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 (°F) | Rainfall (inches) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 64° / 44° | 2.9 | 6.2 | 10.1 | 6.7 |
| Feb | 64° / 46° | 3.8 | 7.4 | 10.8 | 6.3 |
| Mar | 66° / 48° | 2.5 | 6.4 | 11.7 | 6.8 |
| Apr | 69° / 51° | 1.2 | 4.4 | 12.8 | 7.6 |
| May | 72° / 55° | 0.6 | 2.6 | 13.7 | 8.3 |
| Jun | 77° / 59° | 0.1 | 0.6 | 14.1 | 9.2 |
| Jul | 81° / 64° | 0.1 | 1 | 14 | 8.6 |
| Aug | 83° / 65° | 0.1 | 0.5 | 13.2 | 7.9 |
| Sep | 82° / 63° | 0.2 | 1 | 12.2 | 8.3 |
| Oct | 77° / 57° | 0.8 | 2.8 | 11.2 | 8.6 |
| Nov | 70° / 50° | 1.3 | 3.7 | 10.3 | 7.9 |
| Dec | 64° / 44° | 2.3 | 5.4 | 9.9 | 6.7 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 48% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Poway gets around 9.0 in of rain over 19 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 4 mph across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 10 hours in early December to 11 h 12 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 3.5 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit Poway?
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 Poway for sightseeing.
What to pack for Poway in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Poway sees daytime highs around 64°F and nights near 45°F. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 19 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Poway in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 60°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 August at about 70°F and coldest in February near 59°F.
It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 8 to Oct 6 — about 3 months when the water holds above 68°F.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°F) | 60 | 59 | 60 | 61 | 64 | 66 | 69 | 70 | 70 | 67 | 64 | 61 |
| Comfort | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Cool | Cool | Cool |
| Sea temperature (°F) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 60 | Cool |
| Feb | 59 | Cool |
| Mar | 60 | Cool |
| Apr | 61 | Cool |
| May | 64 | Cool |
| Jun | 66 | Cool |
| Jul | 69 | Refreshing |
| Aug | 70 | Refreshing |
| Sep | 70 | Refreshing |
| Oct | 67 | Cool |
| Nov | 64 | Cool |
| Dec | 61 | Cool |
UV index in Poway in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Poway peaks around June 23 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 3 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 4 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4 | Moderate |
| Feb | 5 | Moderate |
| Mar | 5 | High |
| Apr | 8 | Very high |
| May | 8 | Very high |
| Jun | 11 | Extreme |
| Jul | 11 | Extreme |
| Aug | 10 | Extreme |
| Sep | 8 | Very high |
| Oct | 6 | High |
| Nov | 4 | Moderate |
| Dec | 3 | Moderate |
Air quality in Poway 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 Poway is worst in September — around 26 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.4× the cleanest month (May, 8 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) | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 15 | 26 | 14 | 12 | 16 |
| Level | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 12 | Good |
| Feb | 12 | Moderate |
| Mar | 12 | Moderate |
| Apr | 11 | Good |
| May | 8 | Good |
| Jun | 11 | Good |
| Jul | 11 | Good |
| Aug | 15 | Moderate |
| Sep | 26 | Moderate |
| Oct | 14 | Moderate |
| Nov | 12 | Moderate |
| Dec | 16 | Moderate |
Where is Poway?
Poway sits at 33.0°N, 117.0°W, 515 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Rancho Penasquitos, 4.3 mi away.
Topography around Poway
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Poway.
Within 2 miles, the terrain around Poway has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 837 ft around an average of 663 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,812 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 6,808 ft.
The land around Poway is covered by artificial surfaces (47%) and shrubs (20%) within 2 miles, shrubs (30%), trees (25%) and artificial surfaces (23%) within 10 miles, and shrubs (28%) and water (24%) 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 Poway (32.9628°, -117.0359°, elevation 515 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.