Salinas climate
Salinas (California, United States) has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb). The average temperature over the year is 14 °C58 °F, and about 479 mm19 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Salinas climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1558 | 949 | 1254 | 863.4 |
| Feb | 1558 | 949 | 1253 | 853.4 |
| Mar | 1560 | 1049 | 1254 | 702.8 |
| Apr | 1660 | 1049 | 1355 | 361.4 |
| May | 1762 | 1151 | 1457 | 140.6 |
| Jun | 1865 | 1253 | 1559 | 40.2 |
| Jul | 1967 | 1355 | 1661 | 10.0 |
| Aug | 2068 | 1356 | 1762 | 10.1 |
| Sep | 2169 | 1356 | 1763 | 40.2 |
| Oct | 2068 | 1355 | 1661 | 230.9 |
| Nov | 1763 | 1152 | 1457 | 481.9 |
| Dec | 1558 | 1049 | 1254 | 1064.2 |
| Year | 2169 | 949 | 1458 | 47919 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 80% | 48% | 2.7 | 9:55 |
| Feb | 82% | 48% | 3.6 | 10:48 |
| Mar | 83% | 46% | 4.9 | 11:52 |
| Apr | 83% | 41% | 6.2 | 13:05 |
| May | 83% | 35% | 7.3 | 14:06 |
| Jun | 82% | 26% | 8.0 | 14:39 |
| Jul | 83% | 31% | 7.6 | 14:26 |
| Aug | 83% | 30% | 6.9 | 13:33 |
| Sep | 80% | 26% | 5.8 | 12:22 |
| Oct | 77% | 31% | 4.4 | 11:11 |
| Nov | 78% | 38% | 3.1 | 10:09 |
| Dec | 79% | 49% | 2.4 | 9:40 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Salinas is like
The warmest month is September, with an average high of 21 °C69 °F and a low of 13 °C56 °F. The coldest is February, when highs average 15 °C58 °F and lows 9 °C49 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 5.1 °C9.2 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 479 mm19 in. The wettest three-month stretch is December–February, which brings 58% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: May–September. The wettest month is December (106 mm4.2 in), the driest is July (1 mm0.0 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 77% in October to 83% in March. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 26%) are typical of June. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 7 km/h (4 mph) in September to 10 km/h (6 mph) in April. Daylight lasts from about 9.7 hours in December to 14.7 hours in June.
Best time to visit Salinas
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are June–October: average highs of 18 °C65 °F to 21 °C69 °F with 1 mm0.0 in to 23 mm0.9 in of precipitation per month.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Salinas
- Winter (December–February) — highs around 15 °C58 °F, lows 949 to 10 °C49 °F, about 92 mm3.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 1560 to 17 °C62 °F, lows 1049 to 11 °C51 °F, about 40 mm1.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 1865 to 20 °C68 °F, lows 1253 to 13 °C56 °F, about 2 mm0.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 1763 to 21 °C69 °F, lows 1152 to 13 °C56 °F, about 25 mm1.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket.
How Salinas compares
Compared with San Jose, about 77 km to the north, Salinas is on average 1.1 °C2.1 °F cooler and receives 6% less precipitation (479 mm19 in vs 511 mm20 in). The difference is largest in July (4.8 °C8.7 °F cooler).
Of the 222 places in the United States covered by World Climates, Salinas is the 121st warmest by annual mean temperature and the 168th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the United States climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern (seasons shifted for the other hemisphere where needed): Valparaíso (Chile, BSk), Amadora (Portugal, Csb) and Lisbon (Portugal, Csb).
Nearby places
- San Jose 77 km · 15 °C60 °F · 511 mm20 in
- Hayward 116 km · 15 °C59 °F · 511 mm20 in
- Modesto 122 km · 17 °C63 °F · 421 mm17 in
- Daly City 135 km · 13 °C55 °F · 516 mm20 in
- San Francisco 139 km · 14 °C57 °F · 586 mm23 in
- Stockton 146 km · 17 °C63 °F · 449 mm18 in
- Antioch 148 km · 15 °C60 °F · 467 mm18 in
- Concord 148 km · 15 °C59 °F · 467 mm18 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Salinas?
September is the warmest month in Salinas, with an average high of 21 °C (69 °F) and an average low of 13 °C (56 °F).
What is the coldest month in Salinas?
February is the coldest month, with an average high of 15 °C (58 °F) and an average low of 9 °C (49 °F).
When does it rain the most in Salinas?
December is the wettest month with about 106 mm (4.2 in) of precipitation; July is the driest with about 1 mm (0.0 in).
What is the best time to visit Salinas?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are June–October.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 119 m, while Salinas lies at about 16 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.7 °C1.2 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.