#5 of 35 US cities · 2024
How pleasant is the weather in San Francisco, CA?
In 2024, 77% of daytime hours in San Francisco were enjoyable outdoors: 3,648 of 4,758 hours between 8 AM and 9 PM. That's #5 of 35 major US cities. July was the best month and January the worst.
- Enjoyable
- 77%
- Comfortable temp
- 80%
- Too cold
- 20%
- Too hot
- 0%
- Lost to rain
- 0.1%
- Lost to gusts
- 3.5%
Month by month
Share of each month's daytime hours (8 AM to 9 PM). Avg temp is the plain air temperature over those hours, not feels-like.
| Month | Enjoyable | Comfortable | Too cold | Too hot | Rain | Avg temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 57% | 57% | 43% | 0% | 0.0% | 55°F |
| February | 62% | 62% | 38% | 0% | 0.3% | 55°F |
| March | 58% | 61% | 39% | 0% | 0.2% | 56°F |
| April | 68% | 79% | 21% | 0% | 0.0% | 57°F |
| May | 77% | 86% | 14% | 0% | 0.0% | 59°F |
| June | 83% | 96% | 4% | 0% | 0.0% | 61°F |
| July | 97% | 99% | 1% | 0% | 0.0% | 64°F |
| August | 96% | 98% | 2% | 0% | 0.0% | 63°F |
| September | 93% | 97% | 3% | 0% | 0.0% | 63°F |
| October | 95% | 96% | 3% | 1% | 0.0% | 65°F |
| November | 65% | 65% | 35% | 0% | 0.3% | 56°F |
| December | 68% | 68% | 32% | 0% | 0.0% | 54°F |
What limits outdoor time
San Francisco almost never gets too hot during the day. Cold is what costs it hours, mostly January. Wind matters too: gusts took 3.5% of daytime hours.
Sun does most of the work here: 30% of comfortable hours were only comfortable in direct sun.
Weather escapes within driving distance
An hour's drive (about 45 miles) reaches places that average 9°F cooler in summer, but nowhere meaningfully warmer in winter. Distances are straight-line; temperatures are PRISM 1991–2020 averages.
How San Francisco, CA compares
- Los Angeles, CA · #2 · 85%
- Oakland, CA · #3 · 80%
- San Jose, CA · #4 · 80%
- Sacramento, CA · #6 · 65%
- Portland, OR · #7 · 63%
- Seattle, WA · #8 · 61%
Other California cities: San Diego, CA (94%), Los Angeles, CA (85%), Oakland, CA (80%), San Jose, CA (80%), Sacramento, CA (65%).
Questions
How many pleasant outdoor hours does San Francisco, CA get?
3,648 hours in 2024, counting only 8 AM to 9 PM. That's 77% of daytime hours, about 281 days' worth of daytime, and ranks #5 of 35 major US cities.
What is the best month to be outside in San Francisco, CA?
July, when 97% of daytime hours were enjoyable. August (96%) and October (95%) came next. January was the worst month, at 57%.
What makes outdoor time less pleasant in San Francisco, CA?
Mostly temperature. 20% of daytime hours were too cold and 0% too hot. Rain took another 0.1%, and gusty wind 3.5%.
Scored with the default rule: 48–79°F feels-like in sun or shade, under 1 mm/h of rain, gusts under 27 mph, 8 AM to 9 PM. If you run hotter or colder than that, set your own range on the map. How the score works.