California weather in August
August splits California wide open: Death Valley runs 116° afternoons while San Francisco tops out near 68°.
Based on 12 weather stations. Twelve stations from Death Valley to the Sierra — California holds most of the country’s climates inside one border, and no state needs its regions kept apart more than this one.
Southern California
Highs 75–87°, nights 58–68°, and under 0.1 in of rain in a typical August.
| Place | Highs / lows | Wet days | The short version |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 84° / 65° | 0 | Nothing falls from the sky, and the surf turns friendly. |
| Anaheim | 87° / 66° | 0 | The year's real heat — treat midday as indoor time. |
| San Diego | 77° / 68° | 0 | Peak ocean warmth — the one month you skip the wetsuit. |
| Santa Barbara | 75° / 58° | 0 | Warm, still, and the ocean finally worth a long swim. |
Central Coast
Highs 70–73°, nights 53–55°, and under 0.1 in of rain in a typical August.
| Place | Highs / lows | Wet days | The short version |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monterey | 70° / 55° | 0 | Sweatshirt August: the fog owns the mornings, the sun negotiates. |
| Santa Cruz | 73° / 53° | 0 | Warm sand, cold sea, and no parking anywhere near it. |
Bay Area & Wine Country
Highs 68–80°, nights 54–56°, and 0.0–0.1 in of rain in a typical August.
| Place | Highs / lows | Wet days | The short version |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | 68° / 56° | 0 | Fog by day, and the bay finally loses its bite. |
| Napa | 80° / 54° | 0 | The hot stretch, and the first grapes coming off. |
The Deserts
Highs 108–116°, nights 80–89°, and 0.1 in of rain in a typical August.
| Place | Highs / lows | Wet days | The short version |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palm Springs | 108° / 80° | 0 | The nights stop giving anything back — this is the low season. |
| Death Valley | 116° / 89° | 0 | Brutal heat, with a real chance of road-closing floods. |
The Sierra
Highs 80–89°, nights 41–57°, and 0.2–0.4 in of rain in a typical August.
| Place | Highs / lows | Wet days | The short version |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yosemite Valley | 89° / 57° | 0 | Driest month by far, and some falls simply stop. |
| South Lake Tahoe | 80° / 41° | 1 | The month everyone actually gets in the lake. |
Each place above has its own page for the full story — what the month feels like, what to pack, and whether the timing is right.