January in San Francisco: expect compromises
Hardest · 4.5/10January averages 10°C (50°F) — jacket weather. Comfortable for walking and museums, too cool for anything water-based.
At 135 mm this is a genuinely wet month: about 2 days with 6+ hours of sunshine in total, and outdoor plans need an indoor fallback.
It scores 4.5/10 here, 11th of 12 months, against 9.8/10 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.
Flexible dates? July scores 5.3 points higher here — enough to change the trip.
February in San Francisco — middling scores, decent value
Trade-offs · 6.3/10February averages 10°C (50°F) — jacket weather. Comfortable for walking and museums, too cool for anything water-based.
Rainfall runs 77 mm, so plan one flexible day in three; you still get about 9 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 10.6 hours of daylight.
It scores 6.3/10 here, 10th of 12 months, against 9.8/10 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.
Flexible dates? July scores 3.5 points higher here — enough to change the trip.
March in San Francisco — middling scores, decent value
Trade-offs · 6.7/10Expect 11°C (51°F) in March. A good month for city streets, viewpoints and long meals; leave swimming for another season.
Budget for roughly 99 mm of rain this month — a flexible day or two helps — with about 18 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 11.7 hours of daylight to work around it.
That is 6.7/10 on the same scale — 8th of 12 months, versus 9.8/10 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.
If your dates are flexible, July is materially better in San Francisco — 3.1 points higher on the same scale.
April in San Francisco — one of the year's strongest windows (6th)
Best window · 9.1/10April averages 12°C (54°F), the range most people find easiest for walking a city all day without either overheating or losing daylight to weather.
Expect 23 mm of rain — occasional showers rather than washed-out days — alongside about 30 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 13 daylight hours.
A 9.1/10 puts this among the year's best months in San Francisco (6th of 12); only July scores higher, at 9.8/10.
Plan for peak pricing, with crowds are moderate.
Pack layers you can shed by midday plus one warm layer for the evening.
May is one of the strongest months in San Francisco (5th)
Best window · 9.5/10Temperatures hover around 14°C (58°F) — the kind of month where neither heat nor cold forces the schedule.
At just 14 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 San Francisco at 9.5/10 (5th of 12), just behind July at 9.8/10.
Budget for mid-season pricing, and crowds are moderate.
Pack layers you can shed by midday plus one warm layer for the evening.
June ranks 2nd of 12 for San Francisco — one of the best windows
Best window · 9.7/10June 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 30 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 14.6 hours of daylight to work with.
A 9.7/10 puts this among the year's best months in San Francisco (2nd of 12); only July scores higher, at 9.8/10.
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.
July in San Francisco tops the year's climate scores
Best window · 9.8/10July averages 18°C (64°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 14.4 hours of daylight to work with.
On our climate-comfort scale this is the top-ranked month of the year for San Francisco at 9.8/10 — the reference point every other month on this page is measured against.
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.
August in San Francisco — one of the year's strongest windows (3rd)
Best window · 9.7/10Temperatures hover around 18°C (65°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 30 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 13.5 hours of daylight.
On our climate-comfort scale this is one of the strongest months of the year for San Francisco at 9.7/10 (3rd of 12), just behind July at 9.8/10.
Budget for peak pricing, and 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.
September ranks 4th of 12 for San Francisco — one of the best windows
Best window · 9.6/10Temperatures hover around 18°C (65°F) — the kind of month where neither heat nor cold forces the schedule.
At just 8 mm for the month, rain will not shape your plans; you get about 21 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 San Francisco at 9.6/10 (4th of 12), just behind July at 9.8/10.
Expect peak pricing, and crowds are moderate.
Pack layers you can shed by midday plus one warm layer for the evening.
October in San Francisco — one of the year's strongest windows (7th)
Best window · 9/10October averages 17°C (62°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 6 mm for the month, with about 13 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 11 hours of daylight to work with.
A 9/10 puts this among the year's best months in San Francisco (7th of 12); only July scores higher, at 9.8/10.
Plan for mid-season pricing, with crowds are moderate.
Pack layers you can shed by midday plus one warm layer for the evening.
November in San Francisco: mixed conditions, plan around the weather
Trade-offs · 6.7/10November averages 12°C (54°F), the range most people find easiest for walking a city all day without either overheating or losing daylight to weather.
Rainfall runs 65 mm, so plan one flexible day in three; you still get about 5 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 9.9 hours of daylight.
It scores 6.7/10 here, 9th of 12 months, against 9.8/10 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, a packable rain layer.
Flexible dates? July scores 3.1 points higher here — enough to change the trip.
December in San Francisco: expect compromises
Hardest · 4.1/10Expect 10°C (51°F) in December. A good month for city streets, viewpoints and long meals; leave swimming for another season.
159 mm of rain signals a properly wet month, with only almost no days with 6+ hours of sunshine to count on — build indoor options into the schedule.
That is 4.1/10 on the same scale — 12th of 12 months, versus 9.8/10 for the best month here.
Expect low-season pricing, and 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.
If your dates are flexible, July is materially better in San Francisco — 5.7 points higher on the same scale.
