August is one of the warmer months of the year in Santa Barbara, with average highs near 26.6°C and lows around 17.8°C (mean 22.2°C). It is one of the drier months, averaging 2 mm of rainfall and 52% relative humidity across the period.
August is one of the warmer months of the year in Santa Barbara. Across 45 years of records, the warmest August in Santa Barbara was 1998 — when the month averaged 24.1°C — while the coldest was 2010 at 20.2°C. Typical August days reach 26.6°C with nights near 17.8°C. The long-term August temperature trend is broadly flat.
August is one of the drier months in Santa Barbara, averaging 2 mm of rainfall. The wettest August on record was 1983 with 26 mm, while the driest were 2001, 2022 and 2025, among others at 0 mm.
Relative humidity in Santa Barbara during August averages 52%. The most humid August was 2023 at 59%, and the least humid was 1986 at 41%.
August receives about 7.1 kWh/m²/day of solar energy in Santa Barbara. The sunniest August was 2006 at 7.6 kWh/m²/day, and the cloudiest was 1984 at 6.1.
Average wind speed in Santa Barbara during August is 2.6 m/s. The windiest Augusts were 1997 and 2015 at 3.1 m/s, while the calmest was 2005 at 2.1 m/s.
Ranked against the other 11 months using 1981–2025 averages.
| Metric | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg Temp | 22.2°C | 22.5°C | 21.8°C | 22.0°C | 22.5°C | +0.3°C |
| Avg High | 26.6°C | 27.0°C | 26.2°C | 26.3°C | 26.8°C | +0.2°C |
| Avg Low | 17.8°C | 17.9°C | 17.4°C | 17.7°C | 18.3°C | +0.5°C |
| Avg Rain | 4 mm | 1 mm | 1 mm | 1 mm | 3 mm | -1 mm |
August temperatures in Santa Barbara have fallen by about 0.4°C between 1981–1985 and 2021–2025.
August has ranged from a record low of 11.9°C (2010) to a record high of 36.4°C (1997).
Rainfall in August is one of the drier months, averaging 2 mm, with a wettest year of 26 mm.
Daytime highs and overnight lows have shifted differently — highs fell about 0.1°C per decade while lows rose 0.1°C per decade, narrowing the gap between day and night.
One of the best times to visit Santa Barbara
August is one of the best times to visit Santa Barbara. Expect days averaging 26.6°C and nights around 17.8°C (mean 22.2°C) — warmer than Santa Barbara's yearly average — with low rainfall (2 mm), so conditions are generally comfortable for sightseeing and outdoor plans.
| Year | Avg High | Avg Temp | Avg Low | Hottest Day | Coldest Day | Rainfall | Humidity | Wind | Solar |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 27.0°C | 22.7°C | 18.4°C | 31.6°C | 15.7°C | 0 mm | 51% | 2.8 m/s | 7.2 |
| 2024 | 27.2°C | 22.7°C | 18.2°C | 32.5°C | 13.9°C | 0 mm | 50% | 2.9 m/s | 7.4 |
| 2023 | 26.7°C | 22.3°C | 17.9°C | 32.9°C | 15.5°C | 17 mm | 59% | 2.5 m/s | 7 |
| 2022 | 26.6°C | 22.5°C | 18.5°C | 32.0°C | 15.4°C | 0 mm | 52% | 2.6 m/s | 7.2 |
| 2021 | 25.7°C | 21.7°C | 17.6°C | 30.3°C | 15.0°C | 0 mm | 57% | 2.2 m/s | 7 |
| 2020 | 27.6°C | 23.3°C | 19.0°C | 34.8°C | 13.5°C | 1 mm | 54% | 2.5 m/s | 7.1 |
| 2019 | 26.5°C | 22.0°C | 17.5°C | 32.0°C | 14.5°C | 2 mm | 54% | 2.5 m/s | 7.4 |
| 2018 | 27.2°C | 23.1°C | 19.0°C | 32.9°C | 16.0°C | 0 mm | 54% | 2.6 m/s | 7.3 |
| 2017 | 27.1°C | 22.9°C | 18.7°C | 34.7°C | 13.6°C | 1 mm | 57% | 2.4 m/s | 6.8 |
| 2016 | 25.6°C | 21.4°C | 17.1°C | 31.2°C | 14.0°C | 0 mm | 55% | 2.6 m/s | 7.4 |
| 2015 | 27.4°C | 22.9°C | 18.3°C | 32.7°C | 15.9°C | 0 mm | 58% | 3.1 m/s | 7.2 |
| 2014 | 25.7°C | 21.6°C | 17.5°C | 31.2°C | 14.6°C | 2 mm | 57% | 2.2 m/s | 7.2 |
| 2013 | 26.0°C | 21.5°C | 17.0°C | 30.9°C | 14.0°C | 1 mm | 54% | 2.7 m/s | 7.2 |
| 2012 | 27.5°C | 23.4°C | 19.3°C | 32.5°C | 14.1°C | 1 mm | 46% | 2.3 m/s | 7.1 |
| 2011 | 25.8°C | 21.3°C | 16.8°C | 31.0°C | 13.9°C | 0 mm | 51% | 2.8 m/s | 7.3 |
| 2010 ❄️ | 24.5°C | 20.2°C | 16.0°C | 30.1°C | 11.9°C | 0 mm | 52% | 2.6 m/s | 7.5 |
| 2009 | 26.1°C | 21.6°C | 17.1°C | 33.0°C | 13.8°C | 2 mm | 50% | 2.3 m/s | 7 |
| 2008 | 26.7°C | 22.5°C | 18.3°C | 30.7°C | 16.5°C | 0 mm | 54% | 2.2 m/s | 7.2 |
| 2007 | 27.0°C | 22.5°C | 17.9°C | 33.4°C | 14.6°C | 0 mm | 53% | 2.5 m/s | 7.2 |
| 2006 | 25.0°C | 21.0°C | 17.0°C | 30.1°C | 14.4°C | 3 mm | 57% | 2.5 m/s | 7.6 |
| 2005 | 26.8°C | 22.3°C | 17.8°C | 31.9°C | 14.5°C | 1 mm | 54% | 2.1 m/s | 7 |
| 2004 | 25.8°C | 21.4°C | 16.9°C | 32.1°C | 14.1°C | 2 mm | 58% | 2.4 m/s | 7.3 |
| 2003 | 26.9°C | 22.3°C | 17.8°C | 30.8°C | 15.4°C | 3 mm | 52% | 3 m/s | 7.5 |
| 2002 | 25.2°C | 20.8°C | 16.3°C | 31.3°C | 13.7°C | 2 mm | 52% | 2.4 m/s | 7 |
| 2001 | 25.9°C | 21.5°C | 17.1°C | 31.1°C | 13.7°C | 0 mm | 53% | 2.5 m/s | 7.3 |
| 2000 | 26.5°C | 22.3°C | 18.0°C | 31.7°C | 14.7°C | 2 mm | 51% | 2.5 m/s | 7.3 |
| 1999 | 25.9°C | 21.1°C | 16.4°C | 33.6°C | 13.1°C | 1 mm | 50% | 3 m/s | 7.2 |
| 1998 🔥 | 28.5°C | 24.1°C | 19.6°C | 32.9°C | 14.6°C | 3 mm | 49% | 2.4 m/s | 7.2 |
| 1997 | 27.5°C | 22.8°C | 18.2°C | 36.4°C | 15.4°C | 1 mm | 58% | 3.1 m/s | 7.4 |
| 1996 | 27.8°C | 23.1°C | 18.5°C | 34.0°C | 14.0°C | 1 mm | 45% | 2.4 m/s | 7.4 |
| 1995 | 26.1°C | 21.8°C | 17.5°C | 30.7°C | 14.3°C | 0 mm | 49% | 2.5 m/s | 6.9 |
| 1994 | 28.0°C | 23.5°C | 19.0°C | 35.4°C | 15.4°C | 0 mm | 46% | 2.7 m/s | 7 |
| 1993 | 25.9°C | 21.5°C | 17.2°C | 33.3°C | 14.1°C | 0 mm | 56% | 2.6 m/s | 6.9 |
| 1992 | 28.3°C | 23.7°C | 19.1°C | 33.2°C | 14.0°C | 0 mm | 49% | 2.5 m/s | 7.2 |
| 1991 | 25.8°C | 21.1°C | 16.5°C | 30.1°C | 13.1°C | 2 mm | 56% | 2.9 m/s | 6.9 |
| 1990 | 26.6°C | 22.0°C | 17.4°C | 31.3°C | 13.1°C | 0 mm | 55% | 3 m/s | 7.1 |
| 1989 | 24.6°C | 20.3°C | 16.0°C | 29.3°C | 13.5°C | 0 mm | 54% | 2.4 m/s | 7.3 |
| 1988 | 25.5°C | 21.2°C | 17.0°C | 30.3°C | 12.9°C | 1 mm | 57% | 2.5 m/s | 6.8 |
| 1987 | 25.3°C | 21.0°C | 16.8°C | 29.9°C | 12.6°C | 0 mm | 55% | 2.3 m/s | 6.9 |
| 1986 | 27.0°C | 22.8°C | 18.6°C | 30.1°C | 15.9°C | 0 mm | 41% | 2.2 m/s | 6.8 |
| 1985 | 27.0°C | 22.2°C | 17.5°C | 33.8°C | 14.5°C | 0 mm | 48% | 2.7 m/s | 6.9 |
| 1984 | 27.8°C | 23.4°C | 19.0°C | 32.8°C | 16.5°C | 4 mm | 52% | 2.4 m/s | 6.1 |
| 1983 🌧️ | 27.4°C | 23.1°C | 18.9°C | 32.0°C | 14.2°C | 26 mm | 55% | 2.4 m/s | — |
| 1982 | 27.0°C | 22.6°C | 18.1°C | 31.4°C | 14.1°C | 1 mm | 46% | 2.6 m/s | — |
| 1981 | 27.7°C | 22.8°C | 18.0°C | 32.1°C | 15.4°C | 0 mm | 44% | 2.5 m/s | — |
Actual recorded August data for each year, 1981–2025 — sourced from NASA POWER.
The average high in August is around 26.6°C with lows near 17.8°C (mean 22.2°C), based on 45 years of NASA POWER data.
August averages 2 mm of rainfall in Santa Barbara, one of the drier months. The wettest on record was 26 mm in 1983.
The hottest August reached 36.4°C in 1997. The coldest dipped to 11.9°C in 2010.
Comparing the earliest years on record (1981–1985) with the most recent (2021–2025), average August temperatures have fallen by about 0.4°C. Daytime highs moved from 27.4°C to 26.6°C and overnight lows from 18.3°C to 18.1°C over the same span.
August is one of the warmer months of the year in Santa Barbara and one of the drier months, so plan for around 26.6°C daytime highs and 17.8°C at night.
Not quite — August is the 12th coolest month in Santa Barbara, averaging 22.2°C.
For August in Santa Barbara, pack light layers you can adjust through the day, with typical highs of 26.6°C and lows of 17.8°C.
Relative humidity in August averages 52% — relatively dry.
Average wind speed in August is 2.6 m/s. The windiest August on record averaged 3.1 m/s (1997).
The wettest August on record was 1983 with 26 mm. On average, August sees 2 mm.
All figures are derived from NASA POWER (Prediction Of Worldwide Energy Resources), based on MERRA-2 satellite reanalysis, covering 1981–2025.
Explore how the weather in Santa Barbara behaves each August, based on 45 years of NASA POWER climate data from 1981 to 2025. This page breaks down average temperatures, rainfall, humidity, wind and solar radiation for August specifically, along with year-by-year records and how the month has changed over the decades.
