Climate and average weather in Santa Cruz
In Santa Cruz, the weather is mild, showery, and clear and remarkably steady, with daytime highs holding near mild levels all year. The wettest stretch peaks around January.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Santa Cruz typically varies from 49°F to 64°F, and is rarely below 45°F or above 71°F. September is the hottest month of the year, while January is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Santa Cruz for warm-weather activities is from mid June to late October.
- Hottest
- Sep
- 64°
- Coldest
- Jan
- 49°
- Wettest
- Jan
- 5.7 in
- Driest
- Jul
- 0.0 in
- Rain / yr
- 27.1 in
- 56 wet days
- Daylight
- 9.5–14.5 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 36 ft
- 37.0°N
- Clearest
- Aug
- 16% cloud
Santa Cruz is city in and county seat of Santa Cruz County, California, United States.
- Density
- 1,567/km²
- people per km²
- Founded
- 1791
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Santa Cruz weather by month, at a glance
The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.
Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around mid June to late October.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Santa Cruz, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
Temperatures in Santa Cruz stay fairly even through the year, without a distinct hot or cool season. The warmest month is September, with an average high of 64°F and low of 58°F; the coolest is January, with an average low of 49°F and high of 56°F.
Days typically run about 7°F warmer than nights year-round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°F) | 56 | 56 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 60 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 63 | 59 | 56 |
| Avg low (°F) | 49 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 54 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 56 | 52 | 49 |
| Avg high (°F) | Avg low (°F) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56 | 49 |
| Feb | 56 | 49 |
| Mar | 56 | 50 |
| Apr | 57 | 51 |
| May | 58 | 52 |
| Jun | 60 | 54 |
| Jul | 62 | 56 |
| Aug | 63 | 57 |
| Sep | 64 | 58 |
| Oct | 63 | 56 |
| Nov | 59 | 52 |
| Dec | 56 | 49 |
Average hourly temperature in Santa Cruz
A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on September afternoons, near 64°F, and coldest before dawn in January, near 49°F.
Santa Cruz weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°F) | Rainfall (inches) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56° / 49° | 5.7 | 9.6 | 9.8 | 3.8 |
| Feb | 56° / 49° | 5.6 | 9.4 | 10.6 | 3.8 |
| Mar | 56° / 50° | 3.9 | 9.1 | 11.7 | 4.1 |
| Apr | 57° / 51° | 1.8 | 5 | 12.9 | 4.7 |
| May | 58° / 52° | 0.8 | 3 | 13.9 | 5.4 |
| Jun | 60° / 54° | 0.2 | 0.9 | 14.5 | 6.5 |
| Jul | 62° / 56° | 0.0 | 0.1 | 14.3 | 7.2 |
| Aug | 63° / 57° | 0.0 | 0.1 | 13.4 | 7.8 |
| Sep | 64° / 58° | 0.1 | 0.6 | 12.3 | 7.9 |
| Oct | 63° / 56° | 1.2 | 2.9 | 11 | 7.1 |
| Nov | 59° / 52° | 2.6 | 6.1 | 10 | 5.2 |
| Dec | 56° / 49° | 5.3 | 9.6 | 9.5 | 3.9 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Santa Cruz gets about 27.1 in of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is some rain, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.
The wetter season lasts 5.7 months, from around Oct 30 to Apr 19, peaking in February at about 36% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Jul 22.
January is the wettest month by volume, with 5.7 in over about 10 wet days; July is the driest, with 0.0 in.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 31 | 34 | 28 | 17 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 21 | 31 |
| Rain days | 10 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 10 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 10 |
| Feb | 34 | 9 |
| Mar | 28 | 9 |
| Apr | 17 | 5 |
| May | 10 | 3 |
| Jun | 3 | 1 |
| Jul | 1 | 0 |
| Aug | 0 | 0 |
| Sep | 2 | 1 |
| Oct | 9 | 3 |
| Nov | 21 | 6 |
| Dec | 31 | 10 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Santa Cruz collects about 27.1 in of rain across 56 wet days — roughly 2.3 in in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. January is the wettest month with 5.7 in, while July is the driest at just 0.0 in. The three wettest months alone bring about 61% of the year’s total.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (in) | 5.7 | 5.6 | 3.9 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.2 | 2.6 | 5.3 |
| Rain days | 10 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 10 |
| Rainfall (in) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5.7 | 10 |
| Feb | 5.6 | 9 |
| Mar | 3.9 | 9 |
| Apr | 1.8 | 5 |
| May | 0.8 | 3 |
| Jun | 0.2 | 1 |
| Jul | 0.0 | 0 |
| Aug | 0.0 | 0 |
| Sep | 0.1 | 1 |
| Oct | 1.2 | 3 |
| Nov | 2.6 | 6 |
| Dec | 5.3 | 10 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Santa Cruz, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The clearer part of the year begins around April 29 and lasts for 6.2 months, ending around November 2. The clearest month is July, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 94% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around November 3 and lasts for 5.8 months, ending around April 28. The cloudiest month is January, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 51% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 49 | 52 | 54 | 65 | 76 | 88 | 94 | 94 | 92 | 80 | 63 | 52 |
| Cloudier (%) | 51 | 48 | 46 | 35 | 24 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 20 | 37 | 48 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49 | 51 |
| Feb | 52 | 48 |
| Mar | 54 | 46 |
| Apr | 65 | 35 |
| May | 76 | 24 |
| Jun | 88 | 12 |
| Jul | 94 | 6 |
| Aug | 94 | 6 |
| Sep | 92 | 8 |
| Oct | 80 | 20 |
| Nov | 63 | 37 |
| Dec | 52 | 48 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.
The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around June 9, brings about 14 h 30 min of light; the shortest, around January 1, only 9 h 30 min — a swing of roughly 5 hours.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.8 | 10.6 | 11.7 | 12.9 | 13.9 | 14.5 | 14.3 | 13.4 | 12.3 | 11.0 | 10.0 | 9.5 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 7:26 | 7:05 | 6:27 | 5:40 | 5:05 | 4:53 | 5:05 | 5:29 | 5:55 | 6:22 | 6:54 | 7:20 |
| Sunset (PM) | 5:09 | 5:40 | 6:09 | 6:37 | 7:04 | 7:24 | 7:23 | 6:55 | 6:09 | 5:24 | 4:53 | 4:49 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9.8 | 7:26 | 5:09 |
| Feb | 10.6 | 7:05 | 5:40 |
| Mar | 11.7 | 6:27 | 6:09 |
| Apr | 12.9 | 5:40 | 6:37 |
| May | 13.9 | 5:05 | 7:04 |
| Jun | 14.5 | 4:53 | 7:24 |
| Jul | 14.3 | 5:05 | 7:23 |
| Aug | 13.4 | 5:29 | 6:55 |
| Sep | 12.3 | 5:55 | 6:09 |
| Oct | 11.0 | 6:22 | 5:24 |
| Nov | 10.0 | 6:54 | 4:53 |
| Dec | 9.5 | 7:20 | 4:49 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Santa Cruz averages about 18 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 11 and 27 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 5.6 months, from around May 15 to Oct 30. The sunniest month is July, with roughly 26 sunny days (brilliant).
The greyest month is January, down near 11 sunny days — about 58% fewer than the July peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 11 | 10 | 12 | 15 | 19 | 23 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 22 | 15 | 12 |
| Sky | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Bright | Bright | Brilliant | Brilliant | Brilliant | Brilliant | Bright | Bright | Mixed |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11 | Mixed |
| Feb | 10 | Mixed |
| Mar | 12 | Mixed |
| Apr | 15 | Bright |
| May | 19 | Bright |
| Jun | 23 | Brilliant |
| Jul | 27 | Brilliant |
| Aug | 27 | Brilliant |
| Sep | 26 | Brilliant |
| Oct | 22 | Bright |
| Nov | 15 | Bright |
| Dec | 12 | Mixed |
Humidity comfort
Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.
Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.
In Santa Cruz, the air stays dry or comfortable essentially all year. Even in September, the muggiest month, it feels humid or worse only about 1% of the time — humidity is not something you need to plan around here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 98 | 95 | 77 | 54 | 59 | 79 | 93 | 98 |
| Comfortable (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 23 | 45 | 40 | 21 | 7 | 2 |
| Humid (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| May | 98 | 2 | 0 |
| Jun | 95 | 5 | 0 |
| Jul | 77 | 23 | 0 |
| Aug | 54 | 45 | 1 |
| Sep | 59 | 40 | 1 |
| Oct | 79 | 21 | 0 |
| Nov | 93 | 7 | 0 |
| Dec | 98 | 2 | 0 |
Wind
Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.
This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.
Across the year, average wind speed in Santa Cruz is typically light breeze, near 8 mph, and varies little with the seasons.
The windier part of the year lasts 5.4 months, from around Feb 7 to Jul 20. The windiest month is April, averaging about 9 mph (light breeze).
The calmer part of the year runs from around Jul 21 to Feb 6, with November the calmest month at about 7 mph.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (mph) | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Feels | calm | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm |
| Wind speed (mph) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | calm |
| Feb | 8 | light breeze |
| Mar | 8 | light breeze |
| Apr | 9 | light breeze |
| May | 8 | light breeze |
| Jun | 8 | light breeze |
| Jul | 8 | light breeze |
| Aug | 7 | calm |
| Sep | 7 | calm |
| Oct | 7 | calm |
| Nov | 7 | calm |
| Dec | 7 | calm |
Hazard calendar for Santa Cruz
When the seasonal hazards worth planning around — the rainy season, tropical-cyclone risk and dust haze — are active through the year.
Santa Cruz's rainy season runs November–March, when most of the year's rain falls.
Best time to visit Santa Cruz
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Santa Cruz throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around late June, Santa Cruz is still near the start of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds not yet at full swing.
Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.
The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 64°F and 82°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Santa Cruz for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid June to late October, with a peak score in the first week of September.
The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 3.8 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 4.7 | 5.4 | 6.4 | 7.2 | 7.7 | 7.9 | 7.1 | 5.2 | 3.9 |
| Rating | fair | fair | fair | fair | fair | good | good | ideal | ideal | good | fair | fair |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3.8 | fair |
| Feb | 3.8 | fair |
| Mar | 4.1 | fair |
| Apr | 4.7 | fair |
| May | 5.4 | fair |
| Jun | 6.4 | good |
| Jul | 7.2 | good |
| Aug | 7.7 | ideal |
| Sep | 7.9 | ideal |
| Oct | 7.1 | good |
| Nov | 5.2 | fair |
| Dec | 3.9 | fair |
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 75°F and 93°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Santa Cruz for hot-weather activities is from mid August to mid October, with a peak score in the last week of September.
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
What to pack for Santa Cruz, by month
Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.
Santa Cruz packs about the same all year — highs hold near 64°F. Across the year the things worth having are sun protection, a warm layer and rain gear.
In September, Santa Cruz sees daytime highs around 64°F and nights near 58°F. Worth packing: sun protection.
Sea temperature near Santa Cruz
Average ocean temperature at the nearest coast, month by month, banded into swim-comfort zones — the other half of the beach question.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 9 mi away) is warmest in September at about 58°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) | 55 | 55 | 55 | 54 | 54 | 55 | 57 | 58 | 58 | 58 | 57 | 55 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°F) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 55 | Bracing |
| Feb | 55 | Bracing |
| Mar | 55 | Bracing |
| Apr | 54 | Bracing |
| May | 54 | Bracing |
| Jun | 55 | Bracing |
| Jul | 57 | Bracing |
| Aug | 58 | Bracing |
| Sep | 58 | Bracing |
| Oct | 58 | Bracing |
| Nov | 57 | Bracing |
| Dec | 55 | Bracing |
UV index (midday) in Santa Cruz by month
Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Santa Cruz peaks around June 23 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 13 at about 2 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 3 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | 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 | 10 | Extreme |
| Jul | 10 | Extreme |
| Aug | 10 | Very high |
| Sep | 6 | High |
| Oct | 5 | High |
| Nov | 2 | Moderate |
| Dec | 2 | Moderate |
Average hourly UV index in Santa Cruz
Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.
The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in June the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 8.5 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 6 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 0 | 3.5 | 5 | 6.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8 | 6.5 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 | 4.5 | 6 | 6 | 5.5 | 2.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 3.5 | 0 |
| Mar | 5 | 0 |
| Apr | 6.5 | 2.5 |
| May | 8 | 4.5 |
| Jun | 8.5 | 6 |
| Jul | 8.5 | 6 |
| Aug | 8 | 5.5 |
| Sep | 6.5 | 2.5 |
| Oct | 5 | 0 |
| Nov | 0 | 0 |
| Dec | 0 | 0 |
Air quality in Santa Cruz by month
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.
Air quality in Santa Cruz is worst in August — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.9× the cleanest month (June, 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) | 7 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 17 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 6 |
| Level | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | Good |
| Feb | 9 | Good |
| Mar | 8 | Good |
| Apr | 7 | Good |
| May | 7 | Good |
| Jun | 6 | Good |
| Jul | 6 | Good |
| Aug | 17 | Moderate |
| Sep | 11 | Good |
| Oct | 10 | Good |
| Nov | 9 | Good |
| Dec | 6 | Good |
Growing season
Santa Cruz is frost-free year round — even the coldest nights rarely reach freezing, so there is no start or end to the growing season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Frost nights | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 |
| Nov | 100 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 |
Growing degree days
Growing degree days tally heat above 50°F: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Santa Cruz banks about 2,188 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around September.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°F·days) | 73 | 74 | 99 | 113 | 160 | 208 | 271 | 317 | 323 | 298 | 173 | 80 |
| Growing degree days (°F·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 73 |
| Feb | 74 |
| Mar | 99 |
| Apr | 113 |
| May | 160 |
| Jun | 208 |
| Jul | 271 |
| Aug | 317 |
| Sep | 323 |
| Oct | 298 |
| Nov | 173 |
| Dec | 80 |
Solar energy
Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.
Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.
Santa Cruz receives about 5.1 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 2.3 and 7.8 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.2 months, from around Mar 24 to Sep 29. The brightest month is June, averaging about 7.7 kWh/m² (intense).
The dimmest month is December, down near 2.4 kWh/m² — roughly 69% less than the June peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 2.6 | 3.5 | 4.8 | 6.2 | 7.0 | 7.7 | 7.5 | 6.8 | 5.8 | 4.3 | 3.0 | 2.4 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Bright | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Bright | Bright | Moderate | Moderate |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2.6 | Moderate |
| Feb | 3.5 | Moderate |
| Mar | 4.8 | Bright |
| Apr | 6.2 | Intense |
| May | 7.0 | Intense |
| Jun | 7.7 | Intense |
| Jul | 7.5 | Intense |
| Aug | 6.8 | Intense |
| Sep | 5.8 | Bright |
| Oct | 4.3 | Bright |
| Nov | 3.0 | Moderate |
| Dec | 2.4 | Moderate |
Where is Santa Cruz?
Santa Cruz sits at 37.0°N, 122.0°W, 36 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Live Oak, 3.1 mi away.
What Santa Cruz looks like
Topography around Santa Cruz
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Santa Cruz.
Within 2 miles, the terrain around Santa Cruz has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 755 ft around an average of 131 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,520 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,820 ft.
The land around Santa Cruz is covered by artificial surfaces (44%) and trees (30%) within 2 miles, water (46%) and trees (42%) within 10 miles, and water (33%), trees (29%) and grassland (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 Santa Cruz (36.9741°, -122.0308°, elevation 36 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).