Watsonville weather in August

In August, Watsonville sees average daytime highs of 73°F and overnight lows near 57°F, with 0.0 in of rain across 0.2 wet days and about 13.4 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 73°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 89% of the time in August, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 54 min at the start of August to 12 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Watsonville's 1st-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Watsonville's year-round climate.

Daytime high
73°
1st warmest
Overnight low
57°
12th coldest
Rainfall
0.0 in
0.2 wet days
Daylight
13 h 24 min
5:28 AM – 6:54 PM
Cloud cover
14%
1st clearest
Wind
4 mph
9th windiest
Solar energy
7.03 kWh/m²
Travel score
9.4
out of 10

Watsonville is city in Santa Cruz County, California, United States.

Density
3,052/km²
people per km²
Founded
1868

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 73°F through the month.

A typical August day in Watsonville reaches about 73°F in the afternoon and slips back to 57°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 68°F and 80°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)
17356
27356
37356
47356
57356
67356
77356
87357
97357
107357
117357
127357
137357
147357
157357
167357
177357
187357
197357
207357
217357
227357
237357
247457
257457
267457
277457
287457
297457
307457
317457

Watsonville weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 1st-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan58° / 43°4.28.79.84.6
Feb60° / 45°4.2910.64.9
Mar62° / 46°3.08.411.75.6
Apr64° / 48°1.34.712.96.6
May67° / 51°0.62.813.97.6
Jun70° / 53°0.10.614.58.7
Jul72° / 56°0.00.214.39.2
Aug73° / 57°0.00.213.49.4
Sep73° / 56°0.10.512.39.3
Oct71° / 52°0.82.1118.4
Nov64° / 46°1.85.3106.5
Dec58° / 43°3.88.69.54.6

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 89% of the time in August, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 5% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 6%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1955
2955
3946
4946
5946
6946
7946
8937
9937
10937
11928
12928
13928
14928
15937
16937
17937
18937
19937
20946
21946
22955
23955
24955
25955
26955
27955
28964
29964
30964
31964

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Watsonville gets around 0.0 in of rain over 0.2 wet days in August. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 1% 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
131
141
151
161
171
181
191
201
211
221
231
241
251
261
271
281
291
301
311

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 62% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
135623
235614
334624
434624
533634
633634
733625
832635
932635
1032635
1132635
1232635
1332635
1432635
1532626
1632626
1732626
1832626
1932626
2032626
2132626
2232626
2332617
2432617
2532617
2632617
2732617
2833607
2933598
3034588
3135578

Wind in August

Winds average 4 mph in August.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 4 mph on the calmest days to 4 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 54 min at the start of August to 12 h 54 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 5:16 AM to 5:41 AM, and sunset from 7:10 PM to 6:33 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.95:167:10
213.95:177:09
313.95:177:08
413.85:187:07
513.85:197:06
613.85:207:05
713.75:217:04
813.75:227:03
913.75:227:02
1013.65:237:01
1113.65:247:00
1213.65:256:59
1313.55:266:58
1413.55:276:56
1513.55:286:55
1613.45:286:54
1713.45:296:53
1813.45:306:51
1913.35:316:50
2013.35:326:49
2113.25:336:47
2213.25:336:46
2313.25:346:45
2413.15:356:43
2513.15:366:42
2613.15:376:40
2713.05:386:39
2813.05:396:37
2912.95:396:36
3012.95:406:35
3112.95:416:33

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 7.03 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.39 kWh/m² to a high of 7.82 kWh/m² in June across the year — August's 7.03 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.4Intense
27.4Intense
37.4Intense
47.3Intense
57.3Intense
67.3Intense
77.3Intense
87.3Intense
97.2Intense
107.2Intense
117.2Intense
127.2Intense
137.1Intense
147.1Intense
157.1Intense
167.0Intense
177.0Intense
187.0Intense
197.0Intense
206.9Intense
216.9Intense
226.9Intense
236.8Intense
246.8Intense
256.8Intense
266.7Intense
276.7Intense
286.7Intense
296.6Intense
306.6Intense
316.6Intense
Planning a trip in August

Hazard calendar for Watsonville

In seasonPeak

None of Watsonville's seasonal hazards are active in August. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Watsonville's rainy season runs December–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is August a good time to visit Watsonville?

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

9.4
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
7.2
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

August is one of the better times to visit Watsonville for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Watsonville in August

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

In August, Watsonville sees daytime highs around 73°F and nights near 57°F. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes.

sun protectionlight clothes

Sea temperature near Watsonville in August

The nearest coast averages about 58°F in August — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore 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.

52°54°56°58°60°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan55Bracing
Feb55Bracing
Mar55Bracing
Apr54Bracing
May54Bracing
Jun55Bracing
Jul57Bracing
Aug58Bracing
Sep58Bracing
Oct58Bracing
Nov56Bracing
Dec55Bracing

UV index in Watsonville 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 Watsonville peaks around June 22 at about 11 (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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 22UV 11Dec 13UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep7High
Oct5High
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Watsonville 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 Watsonville is worst in August — around 22 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.2× the cleanest month (June, 5 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1920 µg/m³Jun 135 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb8Good
Mar8Good
Apr7Good
May6Good
Jun5Good
Jul8Good
Aug22Moderate
Sep15Moderate
Oct12Moderate
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Watsonville?

Watsonville sits at 36.9°N, 121.8°W, 33 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Prunedale, 11 mi away.

Topography around Watsonville

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Watsonville has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 131 ft around an average of 43 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,651 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,121 ft.

The land around Watsonville is covered by artificial surfaces (40%) and cropland (38%) within 2 miles, trees (43%) and water (21%) within 10 miles, and grassland (35%), trees (28%) and water (25%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
131 ft
10 miles
2,651 ft
50 miles
5,121 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
August weather nearby: Prunedale 11 mi · Gilroy 12 mi · Live Oak 13 mi · Santa Cruz 16 mi · Marina 16 mi · Morgan Hill 16 mi · Salinas 17 mi · Hollister 20 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 Watsonville (36.9102°, -121.7569°, elevation 33 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).