30-year climate normals

Santa Barbara County Climate and Weather Averages

Hottest month — August

93.2°

average daily high. The coldest month is December, averaging a low of 33.4°F.

Santa Barbara County gets 21.13" of precipitation a year, and 65% of it falls in Jan, Feb, Mar.

Temperature through the year

Each bar spans the average daily low to the average daily high for that month.

Month	Avg high	Avg low	Precip
January	67.2°	34.2°	4.89"
February	68.1°	35.4°	5.29"
March	71.2°	37.8°	3.61"
April	75.7°	39.3°	1.31"
May	79.8°	42.8°	0.54"
June	86.2°	45.3°	0.06"
July	92.1°	47.8°	0.01"
August	93.2°	48.5°	0.00"
September	90.6°	46.7°	0.08"
October	84.2°	43.1°	0.80"
November	74.8°	38.0°	1.24"
December	66.8°	33.4°	3.30"

Rainfall by month

Santa Barbara County has a distinct wet season. 65% of the year's precipitation arrives in Jan, Feb, Mar.

January 4.89"

February 5.29"

March 3.61"

April 1.31"

May 0.54"

June 0.06"

July 0.01"

August 0.00"

September 0.08"

October 0.80"

November 1.24"

December 3.30"

Annual total 21.13"

What this climate costs you

Degree days measure how hard a building has to work to stay comfortable. They are the reason two identical houses have very different power bills, and they are the link between the weather here and what you pay every month.

Cooling degree days How much air conditioning the climate demands 657

Heating degree days How much heating the climate demands 2,432

Approximate annual cooling cost At 33.25¢/kWh, California average $218

Approximate annual electric heating cost Lower where heating is gas rather than electric $283

These are rough planning figures from degree days and the state electricity price, not a bill estimate. House size, insulation and fuel type move them a lot. See the full cost of owning a home in Santa Barbara County, where electricity is one line of eight.

Common questions

What is the weather like in Santa Barbara County?

Santa Barbara County averages a high of 93.2°F in August and a low of 33.4°F in December. Annual precipitation is 21.13 inches, with essentially no snow.

When is the rainy season in Santa Barbara County?

The wettest stretch is Jan, Feb, Mar, which accounts for 65% of the year's precipitation. That is a pronounced wet season rather than rain spread evenly through the year.

How hot does it get in Santa Barbara County?

The average daily high in August, the hottest month, is 93.2°F. That drives 657 cooling degree days a year, which is what your air conditioning has to work against.

Does it snow in Santa Barbara County?

Effectively no. Measurable snowfall is rare in Santa Barbara County.

Sources

Temperature, precipitation and snowfall normals — NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 1991–2020 Monthly Climate Normals, station CACHUMA LAKE, CA US (USC00041253), 4.5 miles from the county centroid.
Heating and cooling degree days — NOAA, same station and period.
Electricity price — US Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A, California residential average.
Wet-season share is the wettest three consecutive months as a percentage of annual precipitation, calculated from the monthly normals.