Santa Barbara in Spring
In spring (March, April and May), Santa Barbara sees average daytime highs around 66°F and overnight lows near 50°F, with 4.1 in of precipitation over about 11 wet days across the season. It is the 3rd-warmest season and the 2nd-wettest season.
Over the season highs climb from about 61°F in early March to 71°F by late May. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 64% of the time across spring, and the air most often feels dry.
Spring is Santa Barbara's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Santa Barbara's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 66°F
- 3rd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 50°F
- Precipitation
- 4.1 in
- 11 wet days
- Avg wind
- 6 mph
- Travel score
- 7.3
- 3rd-best season
- Months
- Mar · Apr · May
Temperature in Santa Barbara in Spring
Over the season highs climb from about 61°F in early March to 71°F by late May.
A typical spring day in Santa Barbara reaches about 66°F and drops to 50°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is May, the coolest March.
Santa Barbara weather by month
How the three spring months (March, April and May) 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 Spring
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 64% of the time across spring.
Chance of precipitation in Spring
Santa Barbara gets around 4.1 in of rain and snow over 11 wet days across spring. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Spring
Most of spring feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Spring
Winds average 6 mph across spring.
Sunrise & sunset in Spring
Daylight runs from about 11 h 12 min in early March to 14 h 06 min by late May. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Spring
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across spring, about 6.8 kWh/m².
Is spring a good time to visit Santa Barbara?
Our two travel scores rate spring for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
spring is one of the better times to visit Santa Barbara for general sightseeing.
What to pack for Santa Barbara in Spring
From spring's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In spring, Santa Barbara sees daytime highs around 66°F and nights near 50°F. Pack sun protection. Worth having: a warm layer. About 11 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Santa Barbara in Spring
The nearest coast averages about 57°F across spring — 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 Spring
Clear-sky midday UV across spring averages around 7 — 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 Spring
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where spring 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.