Skip to main content
One weather site to rule them all
checkweather.io

California weather

Loading live data…
EuropeanECMWF
17°
Clear
Feels 18° · Wind 2 km/h · Humidity 80%
AmericanNOAA GFS
16°
Clear
Feels 16° · Wind 9 km/h · Humidity 75%
GermanDWD ICON
17°
Clear
Feels 18° · Wind 0 km/h · Humidity 78%

Latest for California: European (ECMWF): 17° Clear · American (NOAA GFS): 16° Clear · German (DWD ICON): 17° Clear.

The weather map: all three models at once

European, American, German side by side around California and nearby towns.Live rain radar →
Loading the three model maps…

Hourly forecast: next 14 hours

consensus of the three models

Rain in the next 24 hours, model by model

each model's own hourly precipitation, side by side

Loading the three models…

10-day forecast, out to 14 days

where the models agree, and where they split

Heading to California? California, USA, sits at 34.1°N in a subtropical climate zone. The averages on this page are measured at Los Angeles, the main gateway for CA travellers; inland and mountain areas run cooler. Before you lock in outdoor plans, compare how the three global models - European (ECMWF), American (GFS) and German (ICON) - forecast California right now. Where they agree you can trust it; the days they split are exactly when a single weather app is least reliable. For a city break, the rain hours below tell you which days to plan indoors.

Where to go in California

We cover 30 destinations in California, each with its own live three-model comparison and long-run averages. The table shows the typical daytime high in January and July and the wettest month, so you can see how much the coast, the cities and the islands differ before you pick dates.

DestinationJan highJul highWettest monthRain per year
Buffalo0°C27°CSeptember1033 mm
Detroit0°C29°CMay872 mm
Seattle9°C25°CNovember999 mm
San Diego19°C24°CFebruary249 mm
Chicago0°C29°CMay875 mm
San Francisco14°C23°CDecember499 mm
Nashville10°C33°CMay1283 mm
Denver8°C32°CMay390 mm
Boston3°C28°CDecember1107 mm
Dallas14°C36°COctober973 mm
Houston18°C34°CJune1413 mm
Washington DC7°C32°CJuly1062 mm
Myrtle Beach15°C31°CAugust1357 mm
Tampa22°C33°CAugust1257 mm
Austin17°C36°CMay921 mm
Atlanta12°C32°CJuly1281 mm
Philadelphia5°C31°CSeptember1121 mm
Minneapolis-5°C28°CJune802 mm
Kansas City4°C31°CMay998 mm
Portland9°C28°CDecember937 mm
Cleveland2°C29°CSeptember1042 mm
Pittsburgh2°C28°CJuly1006 mm
Anaheim20°C27°CFebruary305 mm
Clearwater22°C33°CAugust1257 mm
Sarasota20°C30°CAugust1509 mm
Naples24°C32°CJune1402 mm
Fort Myers24°C33°CJune1353 mm
Palm Beach24°C32°CAugust1569 mm
Key West24°C32°CSeptember1027 mm
Scottsdale20°C41°CAugust184 mm

Best time to visit California

The most comfortable time to visit California is usually January, March, April and May, when daytime highs sit in the pleasant 16-26°C range and the heaviest February rain is behind you.

California weather by month

what to expect in California through the year, 1991-2020 normals, Burbank Glendale Pasadena AP (WMO)

Here is California's typical weather in each month: the average daytime high and overnight low in °C, how each month feels, and the wettest month marked. Use it to plan any trip to California by season.

Jan
19°
7°
Mild
Feb
19°
8°
Mild
Wettest
Mar
21°
10°
Mild
Apr
23°
11°
Warm
May
24°
14°
Warm
Jun
27°
16°
Warm
Jul
30°
18°
Hot
Aug
32°
18°
Hot
Sep
30°
17°
Hot
Oct
26°
14°
Warm
Nov
22°
10°
Warm
Dec
19°
7°
Mild

California compared with Toronto

30-year averages: daytime highs month by month, rain and sunlight

Warmer through the year

+10°C

average daytime high: California 24°C, Toronto 14°C

Rain over a year

−62%

California 353 mm, Toronto 924 mm

Sunlight vs a clear sky

89% vs 67%

solar energy reaching the ground as a share of a cloudless day, averaged over the year (not sunshine hours)

CaliforniaTorontoaverage daytime high, °C, 1991-2020
January, Toronto: 0°CJanuary, California: 19°C (+19°C)February, Toronto: 1°CFebruary, California: 19°C (+18°C)March, Toronto: 5°CMarch, California: 21°C (+16°C)April, Toronto: 12°CApril, California: 23°C (+11°C)May, Toronto: 19°CMay, California: 24°C (+5°C)June, Toronto: 24°CJune, California: 27°C (+3°C)July, Toronto: 27°CJuly, California: 30°C (+3°C)August, Toronto: 26°CAugust, California: 32°C (+6°C)September, Toronto: 22°CSeptember, California: 30°C (+8°C)October, Toronto: 15°COctober, California: 26°C (+11°C)November, Toronto: 8°CNovember, California: 22°C (+14°C)December, Toronto: 3°CDecember, California: 19°C (+16°C)

On 30-year averages California runs 10°C warmer than Toronto, with every month between +3°C and +19°C. Over a year it gets 62% less rain than Toronto.

Month by month in numbers
MonthCaliforniaTorontoDifferenceSunlight, CaliforniaSunlight, Toronto
January19°C0°C+19°C83%56%
February19°C1°C+18°C82%57%
March21°C5°C+16°C85%64%
April23°C12°C+11°C87%67%
May24°C19°C+5°C89%72%
June27°C24°C+3°C93%76%
July30°C27°C+3°C95%79%
August32°C26°C+6°C97%79%
September30°C22°C+8°C95%76%
October26°C15°C+11°C91%63%
November22°C8°C+14°C88%60%
December19°C3°C+16°C83%54%

Daytime highs and lows on this page are 1991-2020 averages. California: station normals from Burbank Glendale Pasadena AP (WMO), rain included. Toronto: station normals from Toronto City (WMO); rain is the CHELSA 1981-2010 climatology on a 1 km grid. Sunlight vs a clear sky is NASA POWER's long-term average of the solar energy reaching the ground as a share of a cloudless day; it compares cloudiness and is not a count of sunshine hours. Toronto stands in for Canada here; other cities have their own climate tables.

Common questions

When is the best time to visit California?
The most comfortable time to visit California is usually January, March, April and May, when daytime highs sit in the pleasant 16-26°C range and the heaviest February rain is behind you.
Will it rain in California during my trip?
Rain is where forecasts disagree most. Instead of trusting one app, the comparison above lines up the European, American and German models for California - check your dates and look for the days they agree; those are the ones you can plan around.
Which forecast is most accurate for California?
For destinations abroad we compare three open global models (ECMWF, GFS and ICON) and show you where they disagree, so you can judge the confidence yourself.
How much warmer is California than Toronto?
On 30-year averages (1991-2020) the daytime high in California is about 10°C warmer than in Toronto (24°C against 14°C), with the monthly gap between 3°C and 19°C.

More holiday weather

More CA weather