Santa Maria in Summer

In summer (June, July and August), Santa Maria sees average daytime highs around 68°F and overnight lows near 58°F, with 0.1 in of rain over about 1 wet days across the season. It is the warmest season of the year and the driest season of the year.

Over the season highs climb from about 65°F in early June to 70°F by late August. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 81% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Summer is Santa Maria's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Santa Maria's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
68°F
warmest season of the year
Avg overnight low
58°F
Rainfall
0.1 in
1 wet days
Avg wind
7 mph
Travel score
8.5
best season of the year
Months
Jun · Jul · Aug

Temperature in Santa Maria in Summer

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs climb from about 65°F in early June to 70°F by late August.

A typical summer day in Santa Maria reaches about 68°F and drops to 58°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is August, the coolest June.

50°60°70°80°JunJulAug

Santa Maria weather by month

How the three summer months (June, July and August) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

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 Summer

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 81% of the time across summer.

0%25%50%75%100%JunJulAug

Chance of precipitation in Summer

Any precipitation

Santa Maria gets around 0.1 in of rain over 1 wet days across summer. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%JunJulAug

Humidity in Summer

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%JunJulAug

Wind in Summer

Winds average 7 mph across summer.

0246810JunJulAug

Sunrise & sunset in Summer

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 12 min in early June to 12 h 48 min by late August. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMJunJulAug

Solar energy in Summer

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across summer, about 7.8 kWh/m².

02468JunJulAug
Planning a trip in summer

Is summer a good time to visit Santa Maria?

Our two travel scores rate summer for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

8.5
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
4.5
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Santa Maria in Summer

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

In summer, Santa Maria sees daytime highs around 68°F and nights near 58°F. Pack sun protection.

sun protection

Sea temperature near Santa Maria in Summer

The nearest coast averages about 58°F across summer — 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 Summer

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across summer averages 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 Summer

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where summer 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
Summer 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.