UC Irvine in Spring

In spring (March, April and May), UC Irvine sees average daytime highs around 69°F and overnight lows near 53°F, with 3.5 in of rain over about 11 wet days across the season. It is the 3rd-warmest season and the 2nd-wettest season.

Over the season highs climb from about 65°F in early March to 72°F by late May. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 54% of the time across spring, and the air most often feels dry.

Spring is UC Irvine's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see UC Irvine's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high: 69°F; 3rd-warmest season
Avg overnight low: 53°F
Rainfall: 3.5 in; 11 wet days
Avg wind: 5 mph
Travel score: 7.7; 3rd-best season
Months: Mar · Apr · May

← Winter UC Irvine year-round climate Summer →

Spring Summer Fall Winter

Temperature in UC Irvine in Spring

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs climb from about 65°F in early March to 72°F by late May.

A typical spring day in UC Irvine reaches about 69°F and drops to 53°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is May, the coolest March.

UC Irvine weather by month

How the three spring months (March, April and May) 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	64° / 47°	3.1	5.7	10	6.7
Feb	64° / 48°	3.6	6.4	10.7	6.5
Mar	66° / 51°	2.2	6	11.7	6.9
Apr	69° / 53°	0.9	3.1	12.8	7.8
May	71° / 57°	0.4	1.7	13.7	8.4
Jun	76° / 60°	0.1	0.3	14.2	9.2
Jul	81° / 64°	0.1	0.5	14	8.8
Aug	83° / 65°	0.0	0.2	13.2	8.3
Sep	81° / 64°	0.2	0.8	12.2	8.6
Oct	76° / 59°	0.7	2.2	11.2	8.8
Nov	70° / 52°	0.9	2.6	10.3	8.1
Dec	64° / 47°	2.2	5	9.8	6.7

Cloud cover in Spring

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 54% of the time across spring.

Chance of precipitation in Spring

Any precipitation

UC Irvine gets around 3.5 in of rain over 11 wet days across spring. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Humidity in Spring

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

Wind in Spring

Winds average 5 mph across spring.

Sunrise & sunset in Spring

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 12 min in early March to 14 hours by late May. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Solar energy in Spring

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across spring, about 6.4 kWh/m².

Planning a trip in spring

Is spring a good time to visit UC Irvine?

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

7.7

Sightseeing

3rd-best month of the year

4.3

Beach & pool

3rd-best month of the year

spring is one of the better times to visit UC Irvine for general sightseeing.

What to pack for UC Irvine in Spring

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

In spring, UC Irvine sees daytime highs around 69°F and nights near 53°F. Pack sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

sun protection

Sea temperature near UC Irvine in Spring

The nearest coast averages about 61°F across spring — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 69°F and coldest in February near 59°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 13 to Sep 28 — about 2.6 months when the water holds above 68°F.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Sea temperature (°F)	59	59	59	60	63	65	68	69	69	67	64	60
Comfort	Cool	Cool	Cool	Cool	Cool	Cool	Refreshing	Refreshing	Refreshing	Cool	Cool	Cool

	Sea temperature (°F)	Comfort
Jan	59	Cool
Feb	59	Cool
Mar	59	Cool
Apr	60	Cool
May	63	Cool
Jun	65	Cool
Jul	68	Refreshing
Aug	69	Refreshing
Sep	69	Refreshing
Oct	67	Cool
Nov	64	Cool
Dec	60	Cool

UV index in UC Irvine in Spring

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across spring averages around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in UC Irvine peaks around June 23 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 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	5	5	7	8	10	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	5	Moderate
Mar	5	Moderate
Apr	7	Very high
May	8	Very high
Jun	10	Extreme
Jul	10	Extreme
Aug	10	Extreme
Sep	8	Very high
Oct	6	High
Nov	3	Moderate
Dec	3	Moderate

Air quality in UC Irvine in Spring

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in UC Irvine is worst in September — around 49 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 4.0× the cleanest month (May, 12 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)	18	19	19	17	12	17	19	32	49	21	21	18
Level	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Poor	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate

	PM2.5 (µg/m³)	Level
Jan	18	Moderate
Feb	19	Moderate
Mar	19	Moderate
Apr	17	Moderate
May	12	Moderate
Jun	17	Moderate
Jul	19	Moderate
Aug	32	Moderate
Sep	49	Poor
Oct	21	Moderate
Nov	21	Moderate
Dec	18	Moderate

Location & terrain

Where is UC Irvine?

UC Irvine sits at 33.6°N, 117.8°W, 115 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Irvine, 2.5 mi away.

Topography around UC Irvine

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around UC Irvine has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 732 ft around an average of 213 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,450 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 10,013 ft.

The land around UC Irvine is covered by artificial surfaces (50%) and trees (26%) within 2 miles, artificial surfaces (48%) and water (25%) within 10 miles, and water (38%) and artificial surfaces (25%) within 50 miles.

2 miles

732 ft

artificial surfaces 50%

10 miles

1,450 ft

artificial surfaces 48%

50 miles

10,013 ft

water 38%

treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland

← Winter UC Irvine year-round climate Summer →

Spring weather nearby: Irvine 2.5 mi · Westpark 3.7 mi · Woodbridge 3.7 mi · Tustin Legacy 4.3 mi · Costa Mesa 4.3 mi · Newport Beach 5.0 mi · El Camino Real 5.6 mi · Northwood 6.8 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

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 UC Irvine (33.6397°, -117.8416°, elevation 115 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.