Santa Maria weather in August

In August, Santa Maria sees average daytime highs of 70°F and overnight lows near 59°F, with 0.0 in of rain across 0.1 wet days and about 13.3 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 70°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 86% of the time in August, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 48 min at the start of August to 12 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Santa Maria's 2nd-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Santa Maria's year-round climate.

Daytime high
70°
1st warmest
Overnight low
59°
12th coldest
Rainfall
0.0 in
0.1 wet days
Daylight
13 h 18 min
5:26 AM – 6:46 PM
Cloud cover
20%
2nd clearest
Wind
6 mph
11th windiest
Solar energy
7.35 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.8
out of 10

Santa Maria is city in southern California, United States.

Density
1,734/km²
people per km²
Founded
1874

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 70°F through the month.

A typical August day in Santa Maria reaches about 70°F in the afternoon and slips back to 59°F overnight — a 10°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 65°F and 76°F. Set against its neighbours, August runs on par with July and on par with September.

50°60°70°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16959
26959
36959
46959
56959
66959
76959
87059
97059
107059
117059
127059
137059
147059
157059
167059
177059
187059
197059
207059
217059
227060
237060
247060
257060
267060
277060
287060
297060
307060
317060

Santa Maria weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 1st-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan59° / 47°3.87.29.95.1
Feb59° / 48°3.67.810.74.9
Mar60° / 49°2.86.311.75.5
Apr62° / 50°1.03.312.96.4
May64° / 53°0.41.613.87.3
Jun66° / 56°0.10.414.38.2
Jul69° / 59°0.00.214.18.5
Aug70° / 59°0.00.113.38.8
Sep70° / 59°0.00.412.28.7
Oct68° / 56°0.81.811.18.3
Nov64° / 51°1.43.710.26.9
Dec59° / 47°2.86.19.75.2

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 86% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 5%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1928
2937
3937
4946
5946
6946
7946
8955
9955
10955
11955
12955
13964
14964
15964
16964
17964
18964
19955
20955
21955
22955
23955
24955
25964
26964
27964
28964
29964
30964
31955

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Santa Maria gets around 0.0 in of rain over 0.1 wet days in August, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 0% and peaks near 1% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
110
120
130
140
151
161
171
181
191
201
211
221
231
240
250
260
270
280
290
300
310

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, August lands in the comfortable band about 69% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
123698
223698
324688
424688
524688
624688
724688
824688
924688
1024688
1124688
1224688
1323698
1423698
1523698
1622717
1722717
1822717
1922726
2021736
2121736
2221736
2321736
2422726
2522717
2622717
2723707
2824688
2925678
3026668
3127649

Wind in August

Winds average 6 mph in August.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 6 mph on the calmest days to 6 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 48 min at the start of August to 12 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 60 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 5:15 AM to 5:38 AM, and sunset from 7:01 PM to 6:26 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.85:157:01
213.75:157:00
313.75:166:59
413.75:176:58
513.75:186:57
613.65:186:56
713.65:196:55
813.65:206:54
913.55:216:53
1013.55:216:52
1113.55:226:51
1213.55:236:50
1313.45:246:49
1413.45:256:48
1513.45:256:47
1613.35:266:46
1713.35:276:44
1813.35:286:43
1913.25:286:42
2013.25:296:41
2113.25:306:39
2213.15:316:38
2313.15:326:37
2413.15:326:36
2513.05:336:34
2613.05:346:33
2712.95:356:32
2812.95:356:30
2912.95:366:29
3012.85:376:27
3112.85:386:26

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 7.35 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.84 kWh/m² to a high of 8.24 kWh/m² in June across the year — August's 7.35 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.7Intense
27.7Intense
37.7Intense
47.7Intense
57.6Intense
67.6Intense
77.6Intense
87.6Intense
97.5Intense
107.5Intense
117.5Intense
127.5Intense
137.4Intense
147.4Intense
157.4Intense
167.3Intense
177.3Intense
187.3Intense
197.3Intense
207.2Intense
217.2Intense
227.2Intense
237.1Intense
247.1Intense
257.1Intense
267.0Intense
277.0Intense
287.0Intense
296.9Intense
306.9Intense
316.8Intense
Planning a trip in August

Is August a good time to visit Santa Maria?

Our two travel scores rate August for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

8.8
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
5.3
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

August is one of the better times to visit Santa Maria for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Santa Maria in August

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

In August, Santa Maria sees daytime highs around 70°F and nights near 59°F. Pack sun protection.

sun protection

Sea temperature near Santa Maria in August

The nearest coast averages about 59°F in August — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 12 mi away) is warmest in October 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.

52°54°56°58°60°62°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan56Bracing
Feb56Bracing
Mar55Bracing
Apr54Bracing
May54Bracing
Jun56Bracing
Jul58Bracing
Aug59Cool
Sep60Cool
Oct60Cool
Nov59Bracing
Dec57Bracing

UV index in Santa Maria in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 10 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Santa Maria 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 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 22UV 11Dec 15UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7Very high
May8Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug10Extreme
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov3Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Santa Maria in August

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where August falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Santa Maria 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).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 2218 µg/m³Jun 124 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb6Good
Mar7Good
Apr6Good
May5Good
Jun4Good
Jul7Good
Aug19Moderate
Sep17Moderate
Oct7Good
Nov6Good
Dec5Good
Location & terrain

Where is Santa Maria?

Santa Maria sits at 35.0°N, 120.4°W, 220 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Orcutt, 6.2 mi away.

Topography around Santa Maria

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Santa Maria has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 108 ft around an average of 220 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,657 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 6,713 ft.

The land around Santa Maria is covered by artificial surfaces (65%) and cropland (21%) within 2 miles, grassland (44%) and cropland (26%) within 10 miles, and grassland (42%) and water (31%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
108 ft
10 miles
2,657 ft
50 miles
6,713 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
August weather nearby: Orcutt 6.2 mi · Nipomo 6.8 mi · Arroyo Grande 14 mi · Lompoc 22 mi · San Luis Obispo 26 mi · Atascadero 39 mi · Paso Robles 48 mi · Isla Vista 50 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 Maria (34.953°, -120.4357°, elevation 220 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).