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Climate and Average Weather Year Round at San Luis Obispo County Airport California, United States

At San Luis Obispo County Airport, the summers are long, warm, arid, and clear and the winters are cold, wet, and partly cloudy. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 41°F to 78°F and is rarely below 33°F or above 90°F.

Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit San Luis Obispo County Airport for warm-weather activities is from late June to late September.

Climate at San Luis Obispo County Airport

coolcomfortablewarmcomfortablecoolJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecNowNow92%92%54%54%clearovercastprecipitation: 3.0 inprecipitation: 3.0 in0.0 in0.0 inmuggy: 0%muggy: 0%0%0%drydrytourism score: 7.3tourism score: 7.32.02.0
San Luis Obispo County Airport weather by month. Click on each chart for more information.

The warm season lasts for 4.0 months, from June 22 to October 20, with an average daily high temperature above 75°F. The hottest month of the year at San Luis Obispo County Airport is August, with an average high of 77°F and low of 55°F.

The cool season lasts for 3.7 months, from November 29 to March 18, with an average daily high temperature below 67°F. The coldest month of the year at San Luis Obispo County Airport is December, with an average low of 42°F and high of 64°F.

Average High and Low Temperature at San Luis Obispo County Airport

Average High and Low Temperature at San Luis Obispo County AirportwarmcoolcoolJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0°F0°F10°F10°F20°F20°F30°F30°F40°F40°F50°F50°F60°F60°F70°F70°F80°F80°F90°F90°F100°F100°FDec 2664°FDec 2664°FSep 1078°FSep 1078°F41°F41°F55°F55°FJun 2275°FJun 2275°FOct 2075°FOct 2075°FMar 1867°FMar 1867°F53°F53°F50°F50°F45°F45°FNowNow
The daily average high (red line) and low (blue line) temperature, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted lines are the corresponding average perceived temperatures.
AverageJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
High 65°F65°F66°F69°F71°F74°F77°F77°F78°F75°F70°F64°F
Temp. 52°F53°F55°F56°F59°F61°F64°F64°F64°F61°F56°F51°F
Low 42°F44°F45°F46°F49°F52°F55°F55°F54°F51°F46°F42°F

The figure below shows you a compact characterization of the entire year of hourly average temperatures. The horizontal axis is the day of the year, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the color is the average temperature for that hour and day.

Average Hourly Temperature at San Luis Obispo County Airport

Average Hourly Temperature at San Luis Obispo County AirportJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AMNowNowcoldcoldcoldcoldcoolcomfortablewarmvery coldvery cold
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The average hourly temperature, color coded into bands. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.

Hacienda La Calera, Chile (5,692 miles away); Campos do Jordão, Brazil (6,339 miles); and Stutterheim, South Africa (10,616 miles) are the far-away foreign places with temperatures most similar to San Luis Obispo County Airport (view comparison).

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At San Luis Obispo County Airport, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year at San Luis Obispo County Airport begins around May 6 and lasts for 5.8 months, ending around October 30.

The clearest month of the year at San Luis Obispo County Airport is August, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 92% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around October 30 and lasts for 6.2 months, ending around May 6.

The cloudiest month of the year at San Luis Obispo County Airport is February, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 46% of the time.

Cloud Cover Categories at San Luis Obispo County Airport

Cloud Cover Categories at San Luis Obispo County AirportclearercloudiercloudierJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%Aug 2392%Aug 2392%Feb 1754%Feb 1754%May 672%May 672%Oct 3073%Oct 3073%NowNowclearovercastmostly clearpartly cloudy
0% clear 20% mostly clear 40% partly cloudy 60% mostly cloudy 80% overcast 100%
The percentage of time spent in each cloud cover band, categorized by the percentage of the sky covered by clouds.
FractionJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Cloudier 44%46%41%32%24%14%9%8%10%21%34%43%
Clearer 56%54%59%68%76%86%91%92%90%79%66%57%

A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days at San Luis Obispo County Airport varies throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 4.5 months, from November 18 to April 2, with a greater than 12% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days at San Luis Obispo County Airport is February, with an average of 6.4 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 7.5 months, from April 2 to November 18. The month with the fewest wet days at San Luis Obispo County Airport is August, with an average of 0.2 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. The month with the most days of rain alone at San Luis Obispo County Airport is February, with an average of 6.4 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 24% on February 20.

Daily Chance of Precipitation at San Luis Obispo County Airport

Daily Chance of Precipitation at San Luis Obispo County AirportwetwetdryJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%Feb 2024%Feb 2024%Jul 250%Jul 250%Nov 1812%Nov 1812%Apr 212%Apr 212%NowNowrain
The percentage of days in which various types of precipitation are observed, excluding trace quantities: rain alone, snow alone, and mixed (both rain and snow fell in the same day).
Days ofJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Rain 6.2d6.4d5.1d2.9d1.2d0.5d0.2d0.2d0.8d2.1d3.6d5.4d

To show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. San Luis Obispo County Airport experiences significant seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

The rainy period of the year lasts for 6.6 months, from October 11 to April 30, with a sliding 31-day rainfall of at least 0.5 inches. The month with the most rain at San Luis Obispo County Airport is February, with an average rainfall of 3.0 inches.

The rainless period of the year lasts for 5.4 months, from April 30 to October 11. The month with the least rain at San Luis Obispo County Airport is August, with an average rainfall of 0.0 inches.

Average Monthly Rainfall at San Luis Obispo County Airport

Average Monthly Rainfall at San Luis Obispo County AirportrainrainJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 in0 in2 in2 in4 in4 in6 in6 in8 in8 inFeb 173.0 inFeb 173.0 inAug 60.0 inAug 60.0 inOct 110.5 inOct 110.5 inApr 300.5 inApr 300.5 inNowNow
The average rainfall (solid line) accumulated over the course of a sliding 31-day period centered on the day in question, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted line is the corresponding average snowfall.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Rainfall 2.6″3.0″2.2″0.9″0.3″0.1″0.0″0.0″0.2″0.6″1.2″2.3″

The length of the day at San Luis Obispo County Airport varies significantly over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 9 hours, 47 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 20, with 14 hours, 32 minutes of daylight.

Hours of Daylight and Twilight at San Luis Obispo County Airport

Hours of Daylight and Twilight at San Luis Obispo County AirportJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 hr24 hr4 hr20 hr8 hr16 hr12 hr12 hr16 hr8 hr20 hr4 hr24 hr0 hr12 hr, 7 minMar 1912 hr, 7 minMar 1914 hr, 32 minJun 2014 hr, 32 minJun 2012 hr, 10 minSep 2212 hr, 10 minSep 229 hr, 47 minDec 219 hr, 47 minDec 21nightnightdayNowNow
The number of hours during which the Sun is visible (black line). From bottom (most yellow) to top (most gray), the color bands indicate: full daylight, twilight (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and full night.
Hours ofJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight 10.1h10.9h12.0h13.1h14.0h14.5h14.2h13.4h12.4h11.3h10.3h9.8h

The earliest sunrise is at 5:47 AM on June 11, and the latest sunrise is 1 hour, 38 minutes later at 7:25 AM on November 2. The earliest sunset is at 4:50 PM on December 4, and the latest sunset is 3 hours, 31 minutes later at 8:21 PM on June 28.

Daylight saving time (DST) is observed at San Luis Obispo County Airport during 2024, starting in the spring on March 10, lasting 7.8 months, and ending in the fall on November 3.

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight and Daylight Saving Time at San Luis Obispo County Airport

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight and Daylight Saving Time at San Luis Obispo County AirportJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AMJun 115:47 AMJun 115:47 AM8:21 PMJun 288:21 PMJun 28Dec 44:50 PMDec 44:50 PM7:25 AMNov 27:25 AMNov 2Mar 10DSTMar 10DSTDSTNov 3DSTNov 3daynightnightnightSolarMidnightSolarMidnightSolarNoonSunriseSunsetNowNow
The solar day over the course of the year 2024. From bottom to top, the black lines are the previous solar midnight, sunrise, solar noon, sunset, and the next solar midnight. The day, twilights (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and night are indicated by the color bands from yellow to gray. The transitions to and from daylight saving time are indicated by the 'DST' labels.

The figure below presents a compact representation of the sun's elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon) and azimuth (its compass bearing) for every hour of every day in the reporting period. The horizontal axis is the day of the year and the vertical axis is the hour of the day. For a given day and hour of that day, the background color indicates the azimuth of the sun at that moment. The black isolines are contours of constant solar elevation.

Solar Elevation and Azimuth at San Luis Obispo County Airport

Solar Elevation and Azimuth at San Luis Obispo County AirportJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AM00010101010202020303030404040505060607000010101020202020303030404040505060703178NowNow
northeastsouthwest
Solar elevation and azimuth over the course of the year 2024. The black lines are lines of constant solar elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon, in degrees). The background color fills indicate the azimuth (the compass bearing) of the sun. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries of the cardinal compass points indicate the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

The figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases.

Moon Rise, Set & Phases at San Luis Obispo County Airport

The time in which the moon is above the horizon (light blue area), with new moons (dark gray lines) and full moons (blue lines) indicated. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.

We base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night.

The perceived humidity level at San Luis Obispo County Airport, as measured by the percentage of time in which the humidity comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable, does not vary significantly over the course of the year, remaining a virtually constant 0% throughout.

Humidity Comfort Levels at San Luis Obispo County Airport

Humidity Comfort Levels at San Luis Obispo County AirportJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%Jan 290%Jan 290%Jul 190%Jul 190%NowNowcomfortablecomfortabledrydryhumidhumid
dry 55°F comfortable 60°F humid 65°F muggy 70°F oppressive 75°F miserable
The percentage of time spent at various humidity comfort levels, categorized by dew point.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Muggy days 0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.1d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d

This section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages.

The average hourly wind speed at San Luis Obispo County Airport experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 7.2 months, from November 20 to June 26, with average wind speeds of more than 8.2 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year at San Luis Obispo County Airport is May, with an average hourly wind speed of 9.3 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 4.8 months, from June 26 to November 20. The calmest month of the year at San Luis Obispo County Airport is August, with an average hourly wind speed of 7.1 miles per hour.

Average Wind Speed at San Luis Obispo County Airport

Average Wind Speed at San Luis Obispo County AirportwindywindyJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 mph0 mph2 mph2 mph4 mph4 mph6 mph6 mph8 mph8 mph10 mph10 mph12 mph12 mph14 mph14 mphMay 239.3 mphMay 239.3 mphSep 97.0 mphSep 97.0 mphNov 208.2 mphNov 208.2 mphNowNow
The average of mean hourly wind speeds (dark gray line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Wind Speed (mph) 8.38.78.89.29.38.77.57.17.17.48.08.5

The predominant average hourly wind direction at San Luis Obispo County Airport varies throughout the year.

The wind is most often from the west for 5.2 months, from April 29 to October 4, with a peak percentage of 70% on July 29. The wind is most often from the north for 6.8 months, from October 4 to April 29, with a peak percentage of 37% on January 1.

Wind Direction at San Luis Obispo County Airport

Wind Direction at San Luis Obispo County AirportNWNJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%20%80%40%60%60%40%80%20%100%0%NowNowwesteastnorthsouth
northeastsouthwest
The percentage of hours in which the mean wind direction is from each of the four cardinal wind directions, excluding hours in which the mean wind speed is less than 1.0 mph. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries are the percentage of hours spent in the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

San Luis Obispo County Airport is located near a large body of water (e.g., ocean, sea, or large lake). This section reports on the wide-area average surface temperature of that water.

The average water temperature experiences some seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The time of year with warmer water lasts for 3.2 months, from July 29 to November 6, with an average temperature above 59°F. The month of the year at San Luis Obispo County Airport with the warmest water is September, with an average temperature of 60°F.

The time of year with cooler water lasts for 3.2 months, from March 3 to June 8, with an average temperature below 55°F. The month of the year at San Luis Obispo County Airport with the coolest water is April, with an average temperature of 54°F.

Average Water Temperature at San Luis Obispo County Airport

Average Water Temperature at San Luis Obispo County AirportwarmcoolJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec50°F50°F52°F52°F54°F54°F56°F56°F58°F58°F60°F60°F62°F62°F64°F64°F66°F66°FSep 2460°FSep 2460°F54°FApr 1754°FApr 17Jul 2959°FJul 2959°FNov 659°FNov 659°FMar 355°FMar 355°FJun 855°FJun 855°FNowNow
The daily average water temperature (purple line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
WaterJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Temperature 56°F56°F55°F54°F54°F56°F58°F60°F60°F60°F59°F57°F

To characterize how pleasant the weather is at San Luis Obispo County Airport throughout the year, we compute two travel scores.

The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit San Luis Obispo County Airport for general outdoor tourist activities is from late June to late September, with a peak score in the first week of August.

Tourism Score at San Luis Obispo County Airport

Tourism Score at San Luis Obispo County Airportbest timeJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec002244668810107.37.32.02.0NowNowtemperaturetemperature cloudscloudsprecipitationprecipitationtourism score
The tourism score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit San Luis Obispo County Airport for hot-weather activities is from late June to late September, with a peak score in the third week of August.

Beach/Pool Score at San Luis Obispo County Airport

Beach/Pool Score at San Luis Obispo County Airportbest timeJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec002244668810102.72.70.30.3NowNowtemperaturetemperature cloudscloudsprecipitationprecipitationbeach/pool score
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

Methodology

For each hour between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM of each day in the analysis period (1980 to 2016), independent scores are computed for perceived temperature, cloud cover, and total precipitation. Those scores are combined into a single hourly composite score, which is then aggregated into days, averaged over all the years in the analysis period, and smoothed.

Our cloud cover score is 10 for fully clear skies, falling linearly to 9 for mostly clear skies, and to 1 for fully overcast skies.

Our precipitation score, which is based on the three-hour precipitation centered on the hour in question, is 10 for no precipitation, falling linearly to 9 for trace precipitation, and to 0 for 0.04 inches of precipitation or more.

Our tourism temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 50°F, rising linearly to 9 for 65°F, to 10 for 75°F, falling linearly to 9 for 80°F, and to 1 for 90°F or hotter.

Our beach/pool temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 65°F, rising linearly to 9 for 75°F, to 10 for 82°F, falling linearly to 9 for 90°F, and to 1 for 100°F or hotter.

Definitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere).

The growing season at San Luis Obispo County Airport typically lasts for 11 months (330 days), from around January 24 to around December 18, rarely starting after February 28, or ending before November 21.

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season at San Luis Obispo County Airport

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season at San Luis Obispo County Airportgrowing seasonJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%50%Jan 2450%Jan 2450%Dec 1850%Dec 1890%Feb 2890%Feb 2890%Nov 2190%Nov 21Jul 23100%Jul 23100%NowNowvery coldcoldcoolcomfortablewarmhot
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The percentage of time spent in various temperature bands. The black line is the percentage chance that a given day is within the growing season.

Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F.

Based on growing degree days alone, the first spring blooms at San Luis Obispo County Airport should appear around January 21, only rarely appearing before January 15 or after January 30.

Growing Degree Days at San Luis Obispo County Airport

Growing Degree Days at San Luis Obispo County AirportJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0°F0°F500°F500°F1,000°F1,000°F1,500°F1,500°F2,000°F2,000°F2,500°F2,500°F3,000°F3,000°F3,500°F3,500°F4,000°F4,000°FJan 2190°FJan 2190°FMay 23900°FMay 23900°FAug 41,800°FAug 41,800°FDec 313,299°FDec 313,299°FNowNow
The average growing degree days accumulated over the course of the year, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.

This section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation.

The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences extreme seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The brighter period of the year lasts for 3.8 months, from April 29 to August 23, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 7.4 kWh. The brightest month of the year at San Luis Obispo County Airport is June, with an average of 8.5 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 3.3 months, from November 5 to February 15, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 3.8 kWh. The darkest month of the year at San Luis Obispo County Airport is December, with an average of 2.7 kWh.

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy at San Luis Obispo County Airport

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy at San Luis Obispo County AirportbrightdarkdarkJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 kWh0 kWh1 kWh1 kWh2 kWh2 kWh3 kWh3 kWh4 kWh4 kWh5 kWh5 kWh6 kWh6 kWh7 kWh7 kWh8 kWh8 kWh9 kWh9 kWh10 kWh10 kWhJun 218.6 kWhJun 218.6 kWhDec 232.7 kWhDec 232.7 kWhApr 297.4 kWhApr 297.4 kWhAug 237.4 kWhAug 237.4 kWhNov 53.8 kWhNov 53.8 kWhFeb 153.8 kWhFeb 153.8 kWhNowNow
The average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground per square meter (orange line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Solar Energy (kWh) 3.03.95.36.87.98.58.37.66.44.83.42.7

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of San Luis Obispo County Airport are 35.238 deg latitude, -120.641 deg longitude, and 187 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of San Luis Obispo County Airport contains significant variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 617 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 225 feet. Within 10 miles contains significant variations in elevation (2,825 feet). Within 50 miles contains large variations in elevation (5,630 feet).

The area within 2 miles of San Luis Obispo County Airport is covered by grassland (44%), cropland (30%), and artificial surfaces (26%), within 10 miles by grassland (43%) and shrubs (18%), and within 50 miles by grassland (38%) and water (35%).

This report illustrates the typical weather at San Luis Obispo County Airport, based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2016.

Temperature and Dew Point

San Luis Obispo County Airport has a weather station that reported reliably enough during the analysis period that we have included it in our network. When available, historical temperature and dew point measurements are taken directly from this weather station. These records are obtained from NOAA's Integrated Surface Hourly data set, falling back on ICAO METAR records as required.

In the case of missing or erroneous measurements from this station, we fall back on records from nearby stations, adjusted according to typical seasonal and diurnal intra-station differences. For a given day of the year and hour of the day, the fallback station is selected to minimize the prediction error over the years for which there are measurements for both stations.

The stations on which we may fall back include but are not limited to Santa Maria Airport; Paso Robles Municipal Airport; Lompoc, Vandenberg Air Force Base; Vandenberg Range; Lompoc Airport; Point Piedras Blanca; Santa Ynez Airport; and Santa Barbara Municipal Airport.

Other Data

All data relating to the Sun's position (e.g., sunrise and sunset) are computed using astronomical formulas from the book, Astronomical Algorithms 2nd Edition , by Jean Meeus.

All other weather data, including cloud cover, precipitation, wind speed and direction, and solar flux, come from NASA's MERRA-2 Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis . This reanalysis combines a variety of wide-area measurements in a state-of-the-art global meteorological model to reconstruct the hourly history of weather throughout the world on a 50-kilometer grid.

Land Use data comes from the Global Land Cover SHARE database , published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Elevation data comes from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) , published by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Names, locations, and time zones of places and some airports come from the GeoNames Geographical Database .

Time zones for airports and weather stations are provided by AskGeo.com .

Maps are © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Disclaimer

The information on this site is provided as is, without any assurances as to its accuracy or suitability for any purpose. Weather data is prone to errors, outages, and other defects. We assume no responsibility for any decisions made on the basis of the content presented on this site.

We draw particular cautious attention to our reliance on the MERRA-2 model-based reconstructions for a number of important data series. While having the tremendous advantages of temporal and spatial completeness, these reconstructions: (1) are based on computer models that may have model-based errors, (2) are coarsely sampled on a 50 km grid and are therefore unable to reconstruct the local variations of many microclimates, and (3) have particular difficulty with the weather in some coastal areas, especially small islands.

We further caution that our travel scores are only as good as the data that underpin them, that weather conditions at any given location and time are unpredictable and variable, and that the definition of the scores reflects a particular set of preferences that may not agree with those of any particular reader.

Please review our full terms contained on our Terms of Service page.