Santa Cruz, California Weather
August begins in scorching stillness. Day 43 of summer. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Santa Cruz weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
- TodayAug 2Foggy——76°57°—
- MondayAug 3Foggy——73°52°-3°
- TuesdayAug 4Foggy——69°57°-4°
- WednesdayAug 5Clear——69°57°0°
- ThursdayAug 6Clear——72°58°+3°
- FridayAug 7Clear——73°61°+1°
- SaturdayAug 8Clear——71°61°-2°
AQI 47 (Good), driven by PM2.5. AQI flat over the last 6 hours (within ±3 points). PM2.5 at 9.8 µg/m³ (AQI 52) with a 0.65 fine-to-coarse ratio and 2 mph wind — combustion smoke trapped in stagnant air, not road dust.
OK No precautions needed for the general population; unusually sensitive individuals may consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.
What's driving it
PM × Wind × Precip
PM2.5 at 9.8 µg/m³ (AQI 52) with a 0.65 fine-to-coarse ratio and 2 mph wind — combustion smoke trapped in stagnant air, not road dust.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 0.65
- Wind
- calm
- Recent rain
- 0h in last 6h
- Pattern
- stagnant smoke
Trends
Seven days of AQI and PM2.5.
Hourly air-quality data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, charted across the past and next several days. Dashed lines mark the AQI breakpoints at 50 (Good → Moderate) and 100 (Moderate → Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups).
Red sky at night, sailor's delight.
- Moonrise
- 9:53 PM
- Moonset
- 10:18 AM
- In sign
- ♓︎ Pisces
August begins in scorching stillness
Santa Cruz at a glance
- Today vs. normal: 7°F below the seasonal normal for this latitude
- Last frost: March 29 (climatological average for this latitude)
- Microseason: Aug 1–5
- Planting window: Sow fall peas. Start kale and collard seedlings for fall.
ZIP codes: 95060, 95062, 95064, 95065
16-Day Forecast — Santa Cruz
- Sun76°57°0%
- Mon73°52°0%
- Tue69°57°0%
- Wed69°57°0%
- Thu72°58°0%
- Fri73°61°0%
- Sat71°61°0%
- Sun68°58°0%
- Mon66°58°0%
- Tue67°58°1%
- Wed70°57°2%
- Thu73°57°3%
- Fri68°58°3%
- Sat72°58°0%
- Sun70°58°3%
- Mon67°56°0%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Live wind & temperature near Santa Cruz
Right now in the garden
Peak growing season
As of August 2, the growing season is at its peak — frost is months away. Continue succession-planting beans and summer squash. Start fall brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, kale) from seed indoors for transplanting in late summer.
Sun & seasons in Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz sits in Santa Cruz County, where the year’s longest day runs 14h 42m of daylight and its shortest just 9h 37m — a swing of +5h 5m between the June and December solstices. Clocks spring forward on Sunday, March 8, 2026 and fall back on Sunday, November 1, 2026.
Los Angeles, the state’s largest city, lies about 284 miles to the SE. The nearest town Santa Cruz tracks is San Jose, roughly 25 miles to the NNE.
Air quality in Santa Cruz’s county has held roughly steady since 2020; its cleanest year on record was 2022 (median AQI 35). See the full air-quality history for Santa Cruz.
Microseason · August 1–5
August begins in scorching stillness
Calm days dominate early August; temperatures peak; the entire ecosystem is in survival mode.
Day 214 of 365 · Wedge 43 of 72
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| January | — | — |
| February | — | — |
| March | — | — |
| April | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | — |
| May | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes, tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, radishes |
| June | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, radishes |
| July | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| August | — | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| September | fall brassicas, garlic (overwinter), carrots | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| October | fall brassicas, garlic (overwinter), carrots | winter squash, tomatoes (last) |
| November | — | — |
| December | — | — |
A year in weather
The year in Santa Cruz tops out in August (~66°F) and dips lowest in January (~51°F), with January wettest at 5.5 inches and July driest at 0.1 inches.
| Month | Mean temp | Precip | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 51° | 5.5″ | 15 |
| February | 52° | 5.0″ | 13 |
| March | 53° | 4.1″ | 13 |
| April | 56° | 1.9″ | 9 |
| May | 60° | 0.6″ | 5 |
| June | 62° | 0.1″ | 3 |
| July | 65° | 0.1″ | 9 |
| August | 66° | 0.1″ | 10 |
| September | 66° | 0.1″ | 6 |
| October | 63° | 0.8″ | 7 |
| November | 56° | 3.1″ | 11 |
| December | 51° | 4.5″ | 14 |
Regional context
By the nearest station's NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals, Santa Cruz sees 51°F Januarys and 65°F Julys, a 14°F range, plus around 25.8 inches of precipitation across 112 days.
Santa Cruz's moisture rides winter storm tracks: January brings 5.5 inches over 14.7 wet days, while July sees only 0.1 inches across 8.5 days in the dry warm season. It is a winter-storm rhythm Santa Cruz shares with places like Pasatiempo, CA, Paradise Park, CA and Twin Lakes, CA.
Freezes are uncommon in Santa Cruz, where the coldest month averages 51°F; cool-season crops grow fall through spring. Summer heat in August (about 66°F) is the binding constraint, not cold. Across Santa Cruz, elevation and tree cover drive a 4-7°F spread in Santa Cruz's overnight lows.
Similar climates: Pasatiempo, CA, Paradise Park, CA, Twin Lakes, CA, Live Oak, CA, Pleasure Point, CA.
Naturalist notes
Coast live oaks begin their spring leaf flush in late April, replacing winter's weathered foliage with fresh green growth.
Western bluebirds start their second nesting cycle in May, taking advantage of the warming temperatures and abundant insect activity.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Santa Cruz?
- Frost typically leaves Santa Cruz by mid-April and returns to Santa Cruz near mid-November.
- What is the rainy season in Santa Cruz?
- Santa Cruz sees its heaviest rain in January (around 5.5 inches), part of roughly 26 inches a year.
- What is the warmest month in Santa Cruz?
- On average August tops the year in Santa Cruz at about 66°F.
- What is the coldest month in Santa Cruz?
- The coldest stretch in Santa Cruz falls in January, around 51°F on average.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Santa Cruz?
- Around mid-April, start frost-hardy crops in Santa Cruz; tomatoes and basil belong a fortnight later.
- How many rainy days does Santa Cruz get?
- Santa Cruz records around 112 days of measurable precipitation annually.
- What hardiness zone is Santa Cruz?
- Because Santa Cruz bottoms near 51°F in January, that winter low sets Santa Cruz's USDA zone — verify by ZIP.
- What is the 10-day forecast for Santa Cruz?
- Santa Cruz's extended outlook — daily high and low temperatures and precipitation chances for each upcoming day — is in the daily forecast above.
- Will it rain this week in Santa Cruz?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for Santa Cruz in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in Santa Cruz?
- Current conditions for Santa Cruz and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the Santa Cruz forecast updated?
- The Santa Cruz forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in Santa Cruz?
- Today's sunrise and sunset times for Santa Cruz are in the Almanac section above, along with civil dawn, civil dusk, and day length. Day length is longest near the summer solstice and shortest near the winter solstice.
- How accurate is the weather forecast for Santa Cruz?
- The next few days in Santa Cruz's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
Climate
In Santa Cruz, California, the hot-summer Mediterranean climate runs from about 51°F in January to 65°F in July, a 14°F seasonal range.
Rain and snow bring Santa Cruz roughly 26 inches a year across approximately 112 measurable-precipitation days.
Santa Cruz's 14°F range, set by its 37.0°N position, drives frost timing and what thrives in Santa Cruz.
ZIP codes in Santa Cruz
- 95065
- 95064
- 95060
- 95062
- 95061
- 95063
- 95067