January in Monterey: mixed conditions, plan around the weather
Trade-offs · 5.6/10January averages 12°C (53°F) — jacket weather. Comfortable for walking and museums, too cool for anything water-based.
At 100 mm this is a genuinely wet month: about 4 days with 6+ hours of sunshine in total, and outdoor plans need an indoor fallback.
It scores 5.6/10 here, 11th of 12 months, against 9.5/10 in the destination's best month.
Figure on low-season pricing, with crowds are light for this destination.
Pack a mid-weight jacket, long sleeves and shoes you can walk 15 km in, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella, footwear you can get muddy.
Flexible dates? June scores 3.9 points higher here — enough to change the trip.
February in Monterey — workable with trade-offs
Trade-offs · 6.9/10February averages 11°C (52°F) — jacket weather. Comfortable for walking and museums, too cool for anything water-based.
Rainfall runs 69 mm, so plan one flexible day in three; you still get about 10 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 10.6 hours of daylight.
It scores 6.9/10 here, 10th of 12 months, against 9.5/10 in the destination's best month.
Figure on mid-season pricing, with crowds are moderate.
Pack a mid-weight jacket, long sleeves and shoes you can walk 15 km in, a packable rain layer, footwear you can get muddy.
Flexible dates? June scores 2.6 points higher here — enough to change the trip.
March in Monterey: strong conditions, 8th of 12
Good · 7.9/10Expect 11°C (52°F) in March. A good month for city streets, viewpoints and long meals; leave swimming for another season.
Budget for roughly 77 mm of rain this month — a flexible day or two helps — with about 19 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 11.7 hours of daylight to work around it.
That is 7.9/10 on the same scale — 8th of 12 months, versus 9.5/10 for the best month here.
Expect mid-season pricing, and crowds are moderate.
Pack a mid-weight jacket, long sleeves and shoes you can walk 15 km in, a packable rain layer, footwear you can get muddy.
If your dates are flexible, June is materially better in Monterey — 1.6 points higher on the same scale.
April in Monterey — one of the year's strongest windows (3rd)
Best window · 9.4/10April averages 12°C (53°F) — jacket weather. Comfortable for walking and museums, too cool for anything water-based.
Expect 17 mm of rain — occasional showers rather than washed-out days — alongside about 30 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 12.9 daylight hours.
A 9.4/10 puts this among the year's best months in Monterey (3rd of 12); only June scores higher, at 9.5/10.
Plan for peak pricing, with this is one of the busiest months here. You are paying the year's highest rates for the year's best conditions — book early or shift a few weeks either side.
Pack a mid-weight jacket, long sleeves and shoes you can walk 15 km in, footwear you can get muddy.
May is one of the strongest months in Monterey (4th)
Best window · 9.4/10Temperatures hover around 13°C (55°F) — the kind of month where neither heat nor cold forces the schedule.
At just 11 mm for the month, rain will not shape your plans; you get about 31 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 14 hours of daylight.
On our climate-comfort scale this is one of the strongest months of the year for Monterey at 9.4/10 (4th of 12), just behind June at 9.5/10.
Budget for peak pricing, and crowds are moderate.
Pack layers you can shed by midday plus one warm layer for the evening, footwear you can get muddy.
June in Monterey tops the year's climate scores
Best window · 9.5/10June averages 14°C (58°F), the range most people find easiest for walking a city all day without either overheating or losing daylight to weather.
Rain is a non-issue at 2 mm for the month, with about 30 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 14.5 hours of daylight to work with.
On our climate-comfort scale this is the top-ranked month of the year for Monterey at 9.5/10 — the reference point every other month on this page is measured against.
Plan for peak pricing, with crowds are moderate. You are paying the year's highest rates for the year's best conditions — book early or shift a few weeks either side.
Pack layers you can shed by midday plus one warm layer for the evening, footwear you can get muddy.
July ranks 2nd of 12 for Monterey — one of the best windows
Best window · 9.5/10July averages 16°C (60°F), the range most people find easiest for walking a city all day without either overheating or losing daylight to weather.
Rain is a non-issue at 1 mm for the month, with about 31 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 14.3 hours of daylight to work with.
A 9.5/10 puts this among the year's best months in Monterey (2nd of 12); only June scores higher, at 9.5/10.
Figure on peak pricing, with this is one of the busiest months here. You are paying the year's highest rates for the year's best conditions — book early or shift a few weeks either side.
Pack layers you can shed by midday plus one warm layer for the evening, footwear you can get muddy.
August in Monterey — one of the year's strongest windows (5th)
Best window · 9.4/10Temperatures hover around 16°C (62°F) — the kind of month where neither heat nor cold forces the schedule.
At just 1 mm for the month, rain will not shape your plans; you get about 31 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 13.4 hours of daylight.
On our climate-comfort scale this is one of the strongest months of the year for Monterey at 9.4/10 (5th of 12), just behind June at 9.5/10.
Budget for peak pricing, and this is one of the busiest months here.
Pack layers you can shed by midday plus one warm layer for the evening, footwear you can get muddy.
September ranks 6th of 12 for Monterey — one of the best windows
Best window · 9.3/10Temperatures hover around 17°C (62°F) — the kind of month where neither heat nor cold forces the schedule.
At just 6 mm for the month, rain will not shape your plans; you get about 24 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 12.2 hours of daylight.
On our climate-comfort scale this is one of the strongest months of the year for Monterey at 9.3/10 (6th of 12), just behind June at 9.5/10.
Expect peak pricing, and crowds are moderate.
Pack layers you can shed by midday plus one warm layer for the evening, footwear you can get muddy.
October in Monterey — one of the year's strongest windows (7th)
Best window · 8.6/10October averages 16°C (61°F), the range most people find easiest for walking a city all day without either overheating or losing daylight to weather.
Rain is a non-issue at 3 mm for the month, with about 17 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 11 hours of daylight to work with.
A 8.6/10 puts this among the year's best months in Monterey (7th of 12); only June scores higher, at 9.5/10.
Plan for mid-season pricing, with crowds are moderate.
Pack layers you can shed by midday plus one warm layer for the evening, footwear you can get muddy.
November in Monterey — reliably good (9th best month)
Good · 7.2/10November averages 13°C (55°F), the range most people find easiest for walking a city all day without either overheating or losing daylight to weather.
Expect 39 mm of rain — occasional showers rather than washed-out days — alongside about 7 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 10 daylight hours.
It scores 7.2/10 here, 9th of 12 months, against 9.5/10 in the destination's best month.
Figure on mid-season pricing, with crowds are moderate.
Pack layers you can shed by midday plus one warm layer for the evening, footwear you can get muddy.
Flexible dates? June scores 2.3 points higher here — enough to change the trip.
December in Monterey — workable with trade-offs
Trade-offs · 5.3/10Temperatures hover around 12°C (54°F) — the kind of month where neither heat nor cold forces the schedule.
101 mm of rain signals a properly wet month, with only about 1 days with 6+ hours of sunshine to count on — build indoor options into the schedule.
That is 5.3/10 on the same scale — 12th of 12 months, versus 9.5/10 for the best month here.
Expect low-season pricing, and crowds are light for this destination.
Pack layers you can shed by midday plus one warm layer for the evening, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella, footwear you can get muddy.
If your dates are flexible, June is materially better in Monterey — 4.2 points higher on the same scale.
