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The best months to get married in Santa Barbara are June through September, based on 30 years of weather records. In August, an average afternoon reaches 75°F, the average night drops to 58°F, and rain of 0.10 inch or more falls on almost no days.
The figures come from Santa Barbara Municipal Airport. The method page explains how the score, rain odds and light times are worked out.
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Best Months To Get Married In Santa Barbara
Weakest for an outdoor ceremony: January and February. Average highs run from 64°F in February to 75°F in August.
The weather station is at the municipal airport near the coast. Mornings can be foggy, with the cloud burning off by midday in many months.
Marine Layer, Mountains And Cool Evenings In Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara sits on a narrow coastal strip with mountains right behind it, and it has one of the steadiest climates on this site. Eleven of 12 months score 80 or higher, and the average high stays between 64°F and 75°F.
The day-to-night gap is bigger than the highs suggest. January runs 64°F by day and 41°F at night, a 23-degree drop, against 17 degrees in Los Angeles. An outdoor evening reception wants wraps or heaters even in the mildest months.
A gray marine-layer morning is common in late spring and summer and usually gives way to sun, so don't read a cloudy start as a bad sign. The less predictable thing is a sundowner, a hot, gusty wind that comes down the mountains in the late afternoon or evening and can be rough on an open-air reception.
If you're looking at wine country venues inland in the Santa Ynez Valley, expect more heat than the airport reading shows.
How Santa Barbara Compares With The Rest Of California
Its best month scores 100, the highest of the 15 places we checked. Its average afternoon high only moves 11°F between the coolest and warmest month, the 3rd steadiest of the 15 places. The state median is 8 months scoring 80 or higher, and Santa Barbara is above it, so there is more room to pick a date.
| Place | Best month | Top score | Months 80+ | Rain days a year | Days 90°F+ a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Barbara | August | 100 | 11 | 24 | 3 |
| San Luis Obispo | July | 98 | 11 | 28 | 15 |
| Burbank | May | 92 | 9 | 19 | 54 |
| Los Angeles | June | 99 | 12 | 21 | 5 |
| Long Beach | June | 98 | 12 | 20 | 23 |
Santa Barbara Wedding Weather By Month
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain days | Days 90°F+ | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 64°F | 41°F | 4.7 | 0 | 82 |
| February | 64°F | 44°F | 5.2 | 0 | 78 |
| March | 66°F | 46°F | 4.2 | 0 | 84 |
| April | 68°F | 48°F | 1.7 | 0.2 | 93 |
| May | 69°F | 51°F | 0.9 | 0.2 | 96 |
| June | 70°F | 55°F | 0.3 | 0.2 | 98 |
| July | 73°F | 58°F | 0.1 | 0.3 | 99 |
| August | 75°F | 58°F | 0 | 0.1 | 100 |
| September | 74°F | 56°F | 0.2 | 0.5 | 98 |
| October | 73°F | 51°F | 1.2 | 1.2 | 93 |
| November | 69°F | 44°F | 1.9 | 0.1 | 92 |
| December | 64°F | 40°F | 3.8 | 0 | 85 |
The Odds Of Rain On Your Wedding Day In Santa Barbara
On an average August day in Santa Barbara, there is about a 1% chance of any measurable rain and about a 0% chance of rain heavy enough to spoil an outdoor ceremony.
| Month | Any measurable rain | 0.10 inch or more | Monthly rainfall |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 20% of days | 15% of days | 3.84 in |
| February | 25% of days | 18% of days | 3.86 in |
| March | 20% of days | 14% of days | 3.10 in |
| April | 11% of days | 6% of days | 0.91 in |
| May | 6% of days | 3% of days | 0.42 in |
| June | 3% of days | 1% of days | 0.11 in |
| July | 1% of days | 0% of days | 0.02 in |
| August | 1% of days | 0% of days | 0.01 in |
| September | 5% of days | 1% of days | 0.07 in |
| October | 7% of days | 4% of days | 0.73 in |
| November | 10% of days | 6% of days | 1.27 in |
| December | 19% of days | 12% of days | 2.91 in |
Sunset And Golden Hour In Santa Barbara
| Month | Sunrise | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Daylight | Ceremony start |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:05 AM | 4:35 PM | 5:12 PM | 10.1 hrs | 4:00 PM |
| February | 6:44 AM | 5:09 PM | 5:43 PM | 11 hrs | 4:45 PM |
| March | 7:09 AM | 6:34 PM | 7:07 PM | 12 hrs | 6:00 PM |
| April | 6:27 AM | 6:57 PM | 7:31 PM | 13.1 hrs | 6:30 PM |
| May | 5:57 AM | 7:19 PM | 7:55 PM | 14 hrs | 6:45 PM |
| June | 5:47 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:14 PM | 14.4 hrs | 7:00 PM |
| July | 5:58 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:12 PM | 14.2 hrs | 7:00 PM |
| August | 6:21 AM | 7:12 PM | 7:47 PM | 13.4 hrs | 6:45 PM |
| September | 6:43 AM | 6:33 PM | 7:06 PM | 12.4 hrs | 6:00 PM |
| October | 7:05 AM | 5:50 PM | 6:24 PM | 11.3 hrs | 5:15 PM |
| November | 6:34 AM | 4:18 PM | 4:55 PM | 10.4 hrs | 3:45 PM |
| December | 6:59 AM | 4:12 PM | 4:51 PM | 9.9 hrs | 3:45 PM |
Daylight runs from 9.9 hours in December to 14.4 hours in June.
More places: California wedding weather, the hub and special wedding dates.
Santa Barbara Wedding Weather Questions
What is the best month to get married in Santa Barbara?
August, at a score of 100, with June, July, and September close behind. Santa Barbara has 11 months scoring 80 or higher, against a California median of 8.
When does it rain most in Santa Barbara?
February has the most days with 0.10 inch of rain or more, at 5.2. Over a year that is about 24 days, the 6th driest of the 15 places.
How hot does it get for a Santa Barbara wedding?
August is warmest, with an average high of 75°F. Across a year Santa Barbara sees about 3 days at or above 90°F, the 4th coolest of the 15 places.
What is a sundowner wind in Santa Barbara?
It's a warm, gusty wind that flows down the mountains toward the coast, usually in the late afternoon or evening. It can make an outdoor evening reception uncomfortable, so ask venues what shelter they have from wind.