Santa Barbara in Fall
In fall (September, October and November), Santa Barbara sees average daytime highs around 71°F and overnight lows near 55°F, with 1.8 in of rain over about 5 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the 3rd-wettest season.
Over the season highs ease from about 78°F in early September to 63°F by late November. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 77% of the time across fall, and the air most often feels dry.
Fall is Santa Barbara's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Santa Barbara's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 71°F
- 2nd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 55°F
- Rainfall
- 1.8 in
- 5 wet days
- Avg wind
- 5 mph
- Travel score
- 8.6
- 2nd-best season
- Months
- Sep · Oct · Nov
Temperature in Santa Barbara in Fall
Over the season highs ease from about 78°F in early September to 63°F by late November.
A typical fall day in Santa Barbara reaches about 71°F and drops to 55°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is September, the coolest November.
Santa Barbara 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 | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 60° / 46° | 3.7 | 6.2 | 0.4 | 10 | 5.5 |
| Feb | 60° / 46° | 3.7 | 6.6 | 0.7 | 10.7 | 5.3 |
| Mar | 62° / 47° | 2.7 | 5.8 | 0.6 | 11.7 | 6.2 |
| Apr | 65° / 49° | 0.9 | 3 | 0.3 | 12.8 | 7.5 |
| May | 69° / 53° | 0.4 | 1.8 | 0 | 13.8 | 8.3 |
| Jun | 74° / 58° | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0 | 14.3 | 9.3 |
| Jul | 78° / 62° | 0.1 | 0.7 | 0 | 14.1 | 9.2 |
| Aug | 78° / 63° | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0 | 13.3 | 9.2 |
| Sep | 76° / 60° | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0 | 12.2 | 9.4 |
| Oct | 72° / 56° | 0.7 | 1.9 | 0 | 11.1 | 8.8 |
| Nov | 65° / 50° | 1.0 | 3 | 0.1 | 10.2 | 7.5 |
| Dec | 60° / 46° | 2.4 | 5.1 | 0.3 | 9.7 | 5.6 |
Cloud cover in Fall
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 77% of the time across fall.
Chance of precipitation in Fall
Santa Barbara gets around 1.8 in of rain over 5 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 5 mph across fall.
Sunrise & sunset in Fall
Daylight runs from about 12 h 48 min in early September to 9 h 54 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 4.9 kWh/m².
Is fall a good time to visit Santa Barbara?
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 Santa Barbara for general sightseeing.
What to pack for Santa Barbara in Fall
From fall's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In fall, Santa Barbara sees daytime highs around 71°F and nights near 55°F. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 5 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Santa Barbara in Fall
The nearest coast averages about 64°F across fall — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea offshore is warmest in September at about 65°F and coldest in April near 56°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) | 58 | 58 | 57 | 56 | 58 | 61 | 64 | 65 | 65 | 64 | 62 | 59 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°F) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 58 | Bracing |
| Feb | 58 | Bracing |
| Mar | 57 | Bracing |
| Apr | 56 | Bracing |
| May | 58 | Bracing |
| Jun | 61 | Cool |
| Jul | 64 | Cool |
| Aug | 65 | Cool |
| Sep | 65 | Cool |
| Oct | 64 | Cool |
| Nov | 62 | Cool |
| Dec | 59 | Bracing |
UV index in Santa Barbara in Fall
Clear-sky midday UV across fall averages around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Santa Barbara peaks around June 23 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 16 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) | 3 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | Moderate |
| Feb | 5 | Moderate |
| Mar | 5 | Moderate |
| Apr | 7 | Very high |
| May | 8 | Very high |
| Jun | 11 | Extreme |
| Jul | 11 | Extreme |
| Aug | 10 | Extreme |
| Sep | 8 | Very high |
| Oct | 6 | High |
| Nov | 3 | Moderate |
| Dec | 3 | Moderate |
Air quality in Santa Barbara 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 Santa Barbara is worst in July — around 28 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 5.1× the cleanest month (February, 6 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) | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 28 | 19 | 9 | 11 | 7 | 21 |
| Level | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6 | Good |
| Feb | 6 | Good |
| Mar | 7 | Good |
| Apr | 6 | Good |
| May | 6 | Good |
| Jun | 6 | Good |
| Jul | 28 | Moderate |
| Aug | 19 | Moderate |
| Sep | 9 | Good |
| Oct | 11 | Good |
| Nov | 7 | Good |
| Dec | 21 | Moderate |
Where is Santa Barbara?
Santa Barbara sits at 34.4°N, 119.7°W, 49 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Goleta, 7.5 mi away.
Topography around Santa Barbara
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Santa Barbara.
Within 2 miles, the terrain around Santa Barbara has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 830 ft around an average of 177 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,963 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 8,806 ft.
The land around Santa Barbara is covered by artificial surfaces (45%) and trees (33%) within 2 miles, water (46%) and trees (36%) within 10 miles, and water (41%), grassland (28%) and trees (21%) 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 Santa Barbara (34.4208°, -119.6982°, elevation 49 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.