Santa Clara in Fall

In fall (September, October and November), Santa Clara sees average daytime highs around 71°F and overnight lows near 51°F, with 3.7 in of rain over about 10 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the 3rd-wettest season.

Over the season highs ease from about 79°F in early September to 60°F by late November. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 67% of the time across fall, and the air most often feels dry.

Fall is Santa Clara's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Santa Clara's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
71°F
2nd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
51°F
Rainfall
3.7 in
10 wet days
Avg wind
4 mph
Travel score
8.0
2nd-best season
Months
Sep · Oct · Nov

Temperature in Santa Clara in Fall

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs ease from about 79°F in early September to 60°F by late November.

A typical fall day in Santa Clara reaches about 71°F and drops to 51°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is September, the coolest November.

40°60°80°SepOctNov

Santa Clara 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.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan57° / 42°5.19.19.74.2
Feb59° / 44°5.39.310.64.6
Mar62° / 45°3.99.311.75.4
Apr65° / 47°1.85.612.96.7
May69° / 50°0.93.4147.8
Jun74° / 53°0.2114.59.1
Jul78° / 56°0.00.114.39.4
Aug78° / 56°0.00.213.49.2
Sep78° / 56°0.10.512.39.2
Oct73° / 52°1.23118.5
Nov63° / 46°2.46106.2
Dec57° / 42°4.79.29.54.2

Cloud cover in Fall

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 67% of the time across fall.

0%25%50%75%100%SepOctNov

Chance of precipitation in Fall

Any precipitation

Santa Clara gets around 3.7 in of rain over 10 wet days across fall. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%40%SepOctNov

Humidity in Fall

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%SepOctNov

Wind in Fall

Winds average 4 mph across fall.

0246810SepOctNov

Sunrise & sunset in Fall

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 48 min in early September to 9 h 36 min by late November. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMSepOctNov

Solar energy in Fall

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across fall, about 4.4 kWh/m².

0246SepOctNov
Planning a trip in fall

Hazard calendar for Santa Clara

In seasonPeak

In fall, Santa Clara overlaps its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Santa Clara's rainy season runs November–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is fall a good time to visit Santa Clara?

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.

8.0
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
5.4
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

fall is one of the better times to visit Santa Clara for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Santa Clara in Fall

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

In fall, Santa Clara sees daytime highs around 71°F and nights near 51°F. Worth packing: light clothes, a warm layer and sun protection. About 10 days see rain.

light clothesa warm layersun protection

Sea temperature near Santa Clara in Fall

The nearest coast averages about 58°F across fall — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 23 mi away) is warmest in August at about 59°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°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan54Bracing
Feb54Bracing
Mar54Bracing
Apr54Bracing
May54Bracing
Jun55Bracing
Jul57Bracing
Aug59Bracing
Sep59Bracing
Oct58Bracing
Nov56Bracing
Dec55Bracing

UV index in Santa Clara in Fall

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across fall averages around 5 — 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 Clara peaks around June 23 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 23UV 10Dec 15UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun10Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep6High
Oct5High
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Santa Clara in Fall

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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 Clara is worst in August — around 25 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (June, 10 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateAug 1824 µg/m³Jun 1110 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan15Moderate
Feb18Moderate
Mar16Moderate
Apr12Moderate
May10Good
Jun10Good
Jul11Good
Aug25Moderate
Sep17Moderate
Oct20Moderate
Nov18Moderate
Dec13Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Santa Clara?

Santa Clara sits at 37.4°N, 122.0°W, 75 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is San Jose, 3.7 mi away.

Topography around Santa Clara

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Santa Clara has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 121 ft around an average of 75 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,552 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,373 ft.

The land around Santa Clara is covered by artificial surfaces (81%) within 2 miles, artificial surfaces (54%) and trees (23%) within 10 miles, and water (30%), grassland (27%) and trees (25%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
121 ft
10 miles
2,552 ft
50 miles
4,373 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
Fall weather nearby: San Jose 3.7 mi · Sunnyvale 4.3 mi · Campbell 4.3 mi · Cupertino 5.0 mi · Milpitas 5.6 mi · Alum Rock 6.8 mi · Saratoga 7.5 mi · Mountain View 7.5 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 Santa Clara (37.3541°, -121.9552°, elevation 75 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.