Average weather, temperature, rainfall, sunshine hours
The climate of Carlsbad is
arid sub-tropical, with very mild, relatively rainy winters and warm, sunny summers.
The city is located on the coast of California, in the northern part of San Diego County. Like in San Diego, the climate is very mild due to the cold current flowing in the ocean.
Here too, however, the temperature can rise a lot when the
Santa Ana wind blows from the deserts areas of the interior. On average, there are only 3 days with a maximum temperature equal to or above 32 °C (90 °F). On the hottest days of the year, the temperature normally reaches 37/38 °C (99/100 °F), usually in September or October, but during some years it does not exceed 32/33 °C (90/91 °F). The highest record is 42 °C (107.5 °F), recorded in September 2010.
In winter, the temperature never drops below freezing. In January 2007, it dropped to 0.5 °C (33 °F), with a maximum of 11 °C (52 °F).
The
average temperature of the coldest month (December) is of 13.3 °C (56 °F), that of the warmest month (August) is of 21.4 °C (71 °F). These temperatures were measured at McClellan-Palomar airport, which is located near the coast. In summer, the temperature on the seafront is even lower, so much so that it often remains around 20 °C (68 °F) even in July and August. Here are the average temperatures.
Carlsbad - Average temperatures (1991-2020) | Month | Min (°C) | Max (°C) | Mean (°C) | Min (°F) | Max (°F) | Mean (°F) |
|---|
| January | 9 | 18 | 13.6 | 48 | 65 | 56.4 |
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| February | 9 | 18 | 13.5 | 48 | 64 | 56.2 |
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| March | 10 | 18 | 14.2 | 51 | 64 | 57.6 |
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| April | 12 | 19 | 15.4 | 53 | 66 | 59.8 |
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| May | 14 | 20 | 16.9 | 57 | 68 | 62.5 |
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| June | 16 | 21 | 18.4 | 60 | 70 | 65.1 |
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| July | 18 | 23 | 20.6 | 64 | 74 | 69.2 |
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| August | 18 | 24 | 21.4 | 65 | 76 | 70.6 |
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| September | 18 | 24 | 20.9 | 64 | 76 | 69.6 |
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| October | 15 | 23 | 18.9 | 59 | 73 | 66.1 |
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| November | 11 | 21 | 16 | 52 | 70 | 60.8 |
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| December | 8 | 18 | 13.3 | 47 | 65 | 56 |
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| Year | 13.2 | 20.7 | 16.9 | 55.8 | 69.2 | 62.5 |
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amounts to 290 millimeters (11.4 inches) per year: it is therefore scarce (although there may be periods of bad weather in winter). It ranges from around 0 mm (0 in) in the driest months (June, July, August) to 65 mm (2.6 in) in the wettest ones (January, February). Here is the average precipitation.
Carlsbad - Average precipitation| Month | Millimeters | Inches | Days |
|---|
| January | 65 | 2.6 | 7 |
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| February | 65 | 2.6 | 8 |
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| March | 40 | 1.6 | 7 |
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| April | 20 | 0.8 | 5 |
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| May | 5 | 0.2 | 3 |
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| June | 0 | 0 | 1 |
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| July | 0 | 0 | 1 |
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| August | 0 | 0 | 1 |
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| September | 5 | 0.2 | 2 |
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| October | 15 | 0.6 | 4 |
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| November | 25 | 1 | 6 |
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| December | 45 | 1.8 | 8 |
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| Year | 290 | 11.4 | 53 |
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For the amount of sunshine, we can refer to the data from San Diego. As you can see, there are about 3,000 hours of sunshine per year, so the amount of sunshine is very good.
San Diego - Sunshine hours| Month | Average | Total |
|---|
January | 7.5 | 240 | February | 8 | 225 | March | 8.5 | 260 | April | 9 | 275 | May | 8 | 250 | June | 8 | 240 | July | 10 | 305 | August | 9.5 | 295 | September | 8.5 | 255 | October | 8 | 245 | November | 7.5 | 230 | December | 7.5 | 230 | Year | 8.4 | 3055 |
The
sea temperature ranges between 15 °C (59 °F) and 20.5 °C (69 °F): so, the sea remains a bit cold even in summer. Here are the average sea temperatures.
Carlsbad - Sea temperature| Month | Celsius (°C) | Fahrenheit (°F) |
|---|
January | 15 | 59 | February | 15 | 59 | March | 15 | 59 | April | 16 | 60 | May | 17 | 62 | June | 18 | 64 | July | 20 | 68 | August | 20 | 69 | September | 20 | 69 | October | 19 | 67 | November | 18 | 64 | December | 16 | 60 | Year | 17.4 | 63.3 |
Best Time
Having a good climate, Carlsbad can be visited all year round. However, from December to March, it can rain, and it can get a bit cold at night. In May and June, there may be morning mists. In summer, but especially in September and October, there can be very hot days, when the wind blows from the desert.
The best time to go to the beach is from July to October, when the sea is less cold.
Back to
California.