San Jose climate
San Jose (California, United States) has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb). The average temperature over the year is 15 °C60 °F, and about 511 mm20 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
San Jose climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1558 | 540 | 1049 | 883.5 |
| Feb | 1660 | 542 | 1151 | 913.6 |
| Mar | 1864 | 744 | 1254 | 773.0 |
| Apr | 1967 | 745 | 1356 | 401.6 |
| May | 2373 | 948 | 1661 | 140.6 |
| Jun | 2781 | 1152 | 1966 | 40.1 |
| Jul | 3086 | 1254 | 2170 | 00.0 |
| Aug | 3086 | 1254 | 2170 | 10.0 |
| Sep | 2985 | 1254 | 2169 | 30.1 |
| Oct | 2577 | 1050 | 1864 | 261.0 |
| Nov | 1966 | 745 | 1355 | 532.1 |
| Dec | 1558 | 541 | 1049 | 1144.5 |
| Year | 3086 | 540 | 1560 | 51120 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 84% | 54% | 2.4 | 9:51 |
| Feb | 83% | 50% | 3.5 | 10:46 |
| Mar | 82% | 48% | 4.8 | 11:51 |
| Apr | 78% | 41% | 6.2 | 13:07 |
| May | 73% | 29% | 7.5 | 14:10 |
| Jun | 66% | 16% | 8.3 | 14:43 |
| Jul | 62% | 12% | 8.2 | 14:29 |
| Aug | 63% | 12% | 7.4 | 13:35 |
| Sep | 60% | 14% | 6.0 | 12:22 |
| Oct | 63% | 26% | 4.4 | 11:09 |
| Nov | 73% | 41% | 2.9 | 10:06 |
| Dec | 81% | 54% | 2.2 | 9:36 |
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 San Jose is like
The warmest month is August, with an average high of 30 °C86 °F and a low of 12 °C54 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 15 °C58 °F and lows 5 °C40 °F. There is a clear seasonal cycle, with 11.5 °C20.7 °F between the average temperature of the warmest and the coolest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 511 mm20 in. The wettest three-month stretch is December–February, which brings 57% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: May–September. The wettest month is December (114 mm4.5 in), the driest is July (0 mm0.0 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 60% in September to 84% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 12%) are typical of July. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 6 km/h (4 mph) in January to 10 km/h (6 mph) in July. Daylight lasts from about 9.6 hours in December to 14.7 hours in June.
Best time to visit San Jose
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April–July and September–November. Average highs then reach 19 °C66 °F to 30 °C86 °F. Precipitation is 0 mm0.0 in to 53 mm2.1 in per month.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an ideal. That means 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 San Jose
- Winter (December–February) — highs 1558 to 16 °C60 °F, lows around 5 °C40 °F, about 98 mm3.8 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 1864 to 23 °C73 °F, lows 744 to 9 °C48 °F, about 44 mm1.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2781 to 30 °C86 °F, lows 1152 to 12 °C54 °F, about 2 mm0.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 1966 to 29 °C85 °F, lows 745 to 12 °C54 °F, about 27 mm1.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
How San Jose compares
World Climates covers 222 places in the United States. By annual mean temperature, San Jose is the 108th warmest of them. By annual precipitation, it is the 164th wettest. See all of them on the United States climate page.
Some places in other countries have a very similar pattern of temperature and rainfall. The closest matches are Jerusalem (Israel, Csa), Al Bayda (Libya, BSk) and Hebron (Palestine, BSk).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Fremont (pop. 232,206) and Santa Clara (pop. 126,215). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for San Jose, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Climate in Hayward 40 km · 15 °C59 °F · 511 mm20 in
- Climate in Daly City 64 km · 13 °C55 °F · 516 mm20 in
- Climate in San Francisco 67 km · 14 °C57 °F · 586 mm23 in
- Climate in Concord 72 km · 15 °C59 °F · 467 mm18 in
- Climate in Antioch 74 km · 15 °C60 °F · 467 mm18 in
- Climate in Salinas 77 km · 14 °C58 °F · 479 mm19 in
- Climate in Modesto 86 km · 17 °C63 °F · 421 mm17 in
- Climate in Stockton 87 km · 17 °C63 °F · 449 mm18 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in San Jose?
August is the warmest month in San Jose. Its average high is 30 °C (86 °F) and its average low is 12 °C (54 °F).
What is the coldest month in San Jose?
January is the coldest month. Its average high is 15 °C (58 °F) and its average low is 5 °C (40 °F).
When does it rain the most in San Jose?
December is the wettest month with about 114 mm (4.5 in) of precipitation. July is the driest with about 0 mm (0.0 in).
What is the best time to visit San Jose?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are April–July and September–November.
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. The gaps are largest 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 233 m, while San Jose lies at about 26 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +1.3 °C2.4 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.