San Luis Obispo in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), San Luis Obispo sees average daytime highs around 60°F and overnight lows near 48°F, with 10.5 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 60°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 45% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is San Luis Obispo's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see San Luis Obispo's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 60°F
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 48°F
- Rainfall
- 10.5 in
- 21 wet days
- Avg wind
- 7 mph
- Travel score
- 5.2
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in San Luis Obispo in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 60°F.
A typical winter day in San Luis Obispo reaches about 60°F and drops to 48°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.
San Luis Obispo 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 | 60° / 47° | 3.9 | 7.2 | 9.9 | 5.2 |
| Feb | 60° / 48° | 3.7 | 7.6 | 10.7 | 5.1 |
| Mar | 61° / 49° | 2.8 | 6.2 | 11.7 | 5.8 |
| Apr | 63° / 51° | 1.0 | 3.4 | 12.9 | 6.9 |
| May | 65° / 53° | 0.4 | 1.5 | 13.8 | 7.8 |
| Jun | 69° / 56° | 0.1 | 0.4 | 14.3 | 8.6 |
| Jul | 71° / 58° | 0.0 | 0.1 | 14.1 | 9.0 |
| Aug | 72° / 59° | 0.0 | 0.1 | 13.3 | 9.2 |
| Sep | 72° / 59° | 0.0 | 0.4 | 12.2 | 9.1 |
| Oct | 70° / 56° | 0.8 | 2 | 11.1 | 8.5 |
| Nov | 64° / 51° | 1.3 | 3.6 | 10.1 | 7.1 |
| Dec | 60° / 47° | 3.0 | 6.6 | 9.7 | 5.3 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 45% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
San Luis Obispo gets around 10.5 in of rain over 21 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 7 mph across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
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.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 3.2 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit San Luis Obispo?
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 San Luis Obispo for sightseeing.
What to pack for San Luis Obispo in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, San Luis Obispo sees daytime highs around 60°F and nights near 48°F. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 21 days see rain.
Sea temperature near San Luis Obispo 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 11 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°F) | 56 | 56 | 55 | 54 | 54 | 55 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 60 | 58 | 57 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Cool | Cool | Cool | Bracing | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°F) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56 | Bracing |
| Feb | 56 | Bracing |
| Mar | 55 | Bracing |
| Apr | 54 | Bracing |
| May | 54 | Bracing |
| Jun | 55 | Bracing |
| Jul | 58 | Bracing |
| Aug | 59 | Cool |
| Sep | 60 | Cool |
| Oct | 60 | Cool |
| Nov | 58 | Bracing |
| Dec | 57 | Bracing |
UV index in San Luis Obispo in Winter
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 San Luis Obispo peaks around June 22 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 at about 3 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 3 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | Moderate |
| Feb | 4 | Moderate |
| Mar | 5 | Moderate |
| Apr | 7 | High |
| May | 8 | Very high |
| Jun | 11 | Extreme |
| Jul | 10 | Extreme |
| Aug | 10 | Extreme |
| Sep | 8 | Very high |
| Oct | 6 | High |
| Nov | 3 | Moderate |
| Dec | 3 | Moderate |
Air quality in San Luis Obispo 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 San Luis Obispo is worst in August — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.5× the cleanest month (June, 4 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) | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 19 | 17 | 7 | 6 | 5 |
| Level | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | Good |
| Feb | 6 | Good |
| Mar | 7 | Good |
| Apr | 6 | Good |
| May | 5 | Good |
| Jun | 4 | Good |
| Jul | 7 | Good |
| Aug | 19 | Moderate |
| Sep | 17 | Moderate |
| Oct | 7 | Good |
| Nov | 6 | Good |
| Dec | 5 | Good |
Where is San Luis Obispo?
San Luis Obispo sits at 35.3°N, 120.7°W, 233 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Arroyo Grande, 12 mi away.
Topography around San Luis Obispo
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of San Luis Obispo.
Within 2 miles, the terrain around San Luis Obispo has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,572 ft around an average of 420 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,861 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,407 ft.
The land around San Luis Obispo is covered by grassland (39%), artificial surfaces (36%) and trees (20%) within 2 miles, grassland (44%) and trees (41%) within 10 miles, and grassland (50%) and water (25%) 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 San Luis Obispo (35.2828°, -120.6596°, elevation 233 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.