Santa Maria in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Santa Maria sees average daytime highs around 59°F and overnight lows near 47°F, with 10.2 in of rain over about 21 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 59°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 46% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Santa Maria's weakest 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
- 59°F
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 47°F
- Rainfall
- 10.2 in
- 21 wet days
- Avg wind
- 8 mph
- Travel score
- 5.1
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Santa Maria in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 59°F.
A typical winter day in Santa Maria reaches about 59°F and drops to 47°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest December.
Santa Maria weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°F) | Rainfall (inches) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 59° / 47° | 3.8 | 7.2 | 9.9 | 5.1 |
| Feb | 59° / 48° | 3.6 | 7.8 | 10.7 | 4.9 |
| Mar | 60° / 49° | 2.8 | 6.3 | 11.7 | 5.5 |
| Apr | 62° / 50° | 1.0 | 3.3 | 12.9 | 6.4 |
| May | 64° / 53° | 0.4 | 1.6 | 13.8 | 7.3 |
| Jun | 66° / 56° | 0.1 | 0.4 | 14.3 | 8.2 |
| Jul | 69° / 59° | 0.0 | 0.2 | 14.1 | 8.5 |
| Aug | 70° / 59° | 0.0 | 0.1 | 13.3 | 8.8 |
| Sep | 70° / 59° | 0.0 | 0.4 | 12.2 | 8.7 |
| Oct | 68° / 56° | 0.8 | 1.8 | 11.1 | 8.3 |
| Nov | 64° / 51° | 1.4 | 3.7 | 10.2 | 6.9 |
| Dec | 59° / 47° | 2.8 | 6.1 | 9.7 | 5.2 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 46% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Santa Maria gets around 10.2 in of rain over 21 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 8 mph across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 9 h 48 min in early December to 11 h 06 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 3.3 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit Santa Maria?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a reasonable time to visit Santa Maria for sightseeing.
What to pack for Santa Maria in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Santa Maria sees daytime highs around 59°F and nights near 47°F. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 21 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Santa Maria in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 56°F across winter — 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°F) | 56 | 56 | 55 | 54 | 54 | 56 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 60 | 59 | 57 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Cool | Cool | Cool | Bracing | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°F) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56 | Bracing |
| Feb | 56 | Bracing |
| Mar | 55 | Bracing |
| Apr | 54 | Bracing |
| May | 54 | Bracing |
| Jun | 56 | Bracing |
| Jul | 58 | Bracing |
| Aug | 59 | Cool |
| Sep | 60 | Cool |
| Oct | 60 | Cool |
| Nov | 59 | Bracing |
| Dec | 57 | Bracing |
UV index in Santa Maria in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 3 — 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 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 3 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 10 | 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 | 4 | Moderate |
| Mar | 5 | Moderate |
| Apr | 7 | Very high |
| May | 8 | Very high |
| Jun | 11 | Extreme |
| Jul | 10 | Extreme |
| Aug | 10 | Extreme |
| Sep | 8 | Very high |
| Oct | 6 | High |
| Nov | 3 | Moderate |
| Dec | 3 | Moderate |
Air quality in Santa Maria in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter 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).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 19 | 17 | 7 | 6 | 5 |
| Level | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | Good |
| Feb | 6 | Good |
| Mar | 7 | Good |
| Apr | 6 | Good |
| May | 5 | Good |
| Jun | 4 | Good |
| Jul | 7 | Good |
| Aug | 19 | Moderate |
| Sep | 17 | Moderate |
| Oct | 7 | Good |
| Nov | 6 | Good |
| Dec | 5 | Good |
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.
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 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.