Weather in Santa Cruz

14-day forecast · updated today, Thursday, October 29, at 5:10 am (GMT-7)

Now · overcast 74 °F

Feels like: 82 °F
Low / high: 73 / 87 °F
Rain: 86% · 0.15 in
Wind: 5 mph ESE

→ 29.85 inHg · steady UV 8 · high

Today in Santa Cruz: drizzle, 73 °F to 87 °F, with a 86% chance of rain (0.15 in) and a light breeze from the east-southeast (5 mph). Tomorrow, partly cloudy, 73 °F to 88 °F and a 20% chance of rain. The warmest day of the week is Tuesday 3, at 89 °F. No significant rain expected over the next 7 days.

Temperatures for the next 14 days

87° 73°
Today
88° 73°
Fri 30
88° 74°
Sat 31
88° 73°
Sun 1
88° 76°
Mon 2
89° 75°
Tue 3
87° 74°
Wed 4
86° 71°
Thu 5
85° 69°
Fri 6
85° 69°
Sat 7
85° 69°
Sun 8
85° 70°
Mon 9
86° 68°
Tue 10
85° 69°
Wed 11

Day by day

Day	Sky	Low / high	Rain	Max wind	Max wave	Model
Today · 29	Drizzle	73 / 87 °F	86% · 0.15 in	6 mph ESE	6.4 ft	ECMWF
Fri 30	Partly cloudy	73 / 88 °F	20%	7 mph NW	4.1 ft	ECMWF
Sat 31	Overcast	74 / 88 °F	0%	7 mph NNW	3.5 ft	ECMWF
Sun 1	Overcast	73 / 88 °F	0%	9 mph NNW	3.6 ft	ECMWF
Mon 2	Partly cloudy	76 / 88 °F	2%	9 mph NW	3.5 ft	ECMWF
Tue 3	Overcast	75 / 89 °F	2%	8 mph WNW	3.8 ft	ECMWF
Wed 4	Overcast	74 / 87 °F	2%	5 mph NNW	3.7 ft	ECMWF
Thu 5	Overcast	71 / 86 °F	2%	4 mph N	2.8 ft	ECMWF
Fri 6	Overcast	69 / 85 °F	2%	4 mph ENE	2.8 ft	ECMWF
Sat 7	Overcast	69 / 85 °F	2%	5 mph ESE	2.8 ft	ECMWF
Sun 8	Overcast	69 / 85 °F	2%	4 mph N	2.6 ft	ECMWF
Mon 9	Overcast	70 / 85 °F	2%	5 mph N	2.7 ft	ECMWF
Tue 10	Overcast	68 / 86 °F	2%	5 mph N	3.2 ft	ECMWF
Wed 11	Overcast	69 / 85 °F	2%	4 mph NNE	3.1 ft	ECMWF

Each day comes from the best model covering this spot: regional ones first (HRRR and NBM in the U.S., AROME, ICON-EU), then ECMWF; day 16, NOAA GFS. Waves: Météo-France up to day 10, then ECMWF WAM, coarser and further offshore.

Today, every 3 hours

Time	12:00 am	3:00 am	6:00 am	9:00 am	12:00 pm	3:00 pm	6:00 pm	9:00 pm
Sky	Light drizzle	Overcast	Overcast	Partly cloudy	Light drizzle	Light drizzle	Drizzle	Partly cloudy
Temperature	74°	74°	76°	82°	86°	86°	79°	73°
Chance of rain	86%	44%	12%	16%	34%	58%	69%	57%
Rain	0.01 in	0.00 in	0.00 in	0.00 in	0.01 in	0.01 in	0.02 in	0.00 in
Wind (mph)	5 ENE	5 E	4 ESE	2 NE	3 W	5 SW	2 NE	6 ESE
Humidity	95%	95%	92%	79%	66%	67%	90%	99%
UV	0	0	0	4	8	2	0	0
Model	ECMWF	ECMWF	ECMWF	ECMWF	ECMWF	ECMWF	ECMWF	ECMWF

Do the models agree?

Medium confidence

They broadly agree, but not quite on rain today: take it with some caution.

What 4 forecast models say for the next few days. The closer they are, the more reliable the forecast.

HighRainWind

Do the models agree? · High
High (°F)	Today	Fri 30	Sat 31	Sun 1	Mon 2	Tue 3	Wed 4
ECMWF	87°	88°	88°	88°	88°	89°	87°
AIFS	84°	86°	86°	86°	86°	86°	86°
GFS	87°	88°	88°	88°	88°	89°	88°
ICON	87°	89°	89°	90°	91°	91°	90°
Confidence	high	high	high	high	high	high	high

Do the models agree? · Rain
Rain	Today	Fri 30	Sat 31	Sun 1	Mon 2	Tue 3	Wed 4
ECMWF	0.15 in	0	0	0	0	0	0
AIFS	0.80 in	0.02 in	0	0	0.02 in	0.02 in	0.02 in
GFS	0.13 in	0	0	0	0	0	0
ICON	0.03 in	0	0	0	0	0	0
Confidence	medium	high	high	high	high	high	high

Do the models agree? · Wind
Wind (mph)	Today	Fri 30	Sat 31	Sun 1	Mon 2	Tue 3	Wed 4
ECMWF	615	718	718	919	919	818	517
AIFS	7	4	8	7	7	7	7
GFS	715	88	810	913	810	710	89
ICON	720	716	1021	921	921	819	820
Confidence	high	high	high	high	high	high	high

Chance of rain from the ensemble models

Model	Today	Fri 30	Sat 31	Sun 1	Mon 2	Tue 3	Wed 4
ECMWF (51 scenarios)	86%	20%	0%	0%	2%	2%	2%
GFS (GEFS, 31 scenarios)	100%	24%	0%	0%	0%	3%	0%

Each model's day runs midnight to midnight local time; models that reach fewer days are left blank. Rain: daily total. Wind: the day's highest average wind and, in small type, the strongest gust. Highlighted: values that stand out from the rest. The chance of rain comes from many runs of the same model with slightly different starting data.

Outlook

How the coming weeks and months compare with what is normal for the time of year. It is a trend, not a day-by-day forecast.

Next few weeks, compared with normal: a bit warmer, normal rain and a warmer sea.

Next 6 weeks

When	TemperatureTemp.	Rain	Sea	Typical high / low
Nov 2 – Nov 8Nov 2–Nov 8	A bit above +1.6 °F	Below −72%	Above +1.8 °F	—
Nov 9 – Nov 15Nov 9–Nov 15	A bit above +1.6 °F	Normal	Above +2.2 °F	—
Nov 16 – Nov 22Nov 16–Nov 22	A bit above +2.2 °F	Above +80%	Above +2.3 °F	83° / 78°
Nov 23 – Nov 29Nov 23–Nov 29	A bit above +2.3 °F	Well above +119%	Above +2.3 °F	82° / 77°
Nov 30 – Dec 6Nov 30–Dec 6	A bit above +2.3 °F	Above +94%	Above +2.5 °F	81° / 76°

Coming months

When	TemperatureTemp.	Rain	Sea
November	A bit above +2.5 °F	Above +72%	Above +2.9 °F
December	A bit above +2.5 °F	Above +66%	Above +3.4 °F
January	A bit above +2.0 °F	Normal	Above +3.2 °F
February	A bit above +1.4 °F	Above +77%	Above +2.5 °F
March	A bit above +2.0 °F	Normal	Above +2.7 °F

Weeks: ECMWF 46-day (average of its scenarios), against the normal of the last 20 years for those dates. Months: ECMWF SEAS5. Rain: total against normal. The further ahead, the closer it gets to normal and the less detail it can give.

Santa Cruz climate by monthClimate by month

Normal weather for each month (1991–2020 averages)

The best time to visit Santa Cruz is from December to April: highs of 85 °F to 89 °F, barely 1 rainy day a month and 7 hours of sunshine a day.

Hurricane season: from September to October, peaking in October. In the last 30 years (1996–2025), 12 tropical cyclones passed within 93 mi of Santa Cruz, about 4 every 10 years; 7 of them with hurricane-force winds (74 mph or more). The most recent: Orlene, in October 2022.

85° 60°

JanJ
86° 59°

FebF
87° 60°

MarM
89° 62°

AprA
92° 67°

MayM
93° 74°

JunJ
93° 75°

JulJ
93° 75°

AugA
92° 75°

SepS
92° 74°

OctO
89° 68°

NovN
85° 62°

DecD

Highs and lows
Monthly rainfall
Best time

Month	High	Low	Rain	Rainy daysDays	Sun (h/day)	Water	Waves	Cyclones
JanuaryJan	85°	60°	0.72 in	1	6.4	76°	3.3 ft	–
FebruaryFeb	86°	59°	0.62 in	2	7.3	75°	3.3 ft	–
MarchMar	87°	60°	0.07 in	0	8.0	74°	3.4 ft	–
AprilApr	89°	62°	0.02 in	0	7.7	76°	3.4 ft	–
MayMay	92°	67°	0.02 in	0	7.9	79°	3.6 ft	–
JuneJun	93°	74°	3.06 in	9	7.1	83°	3.7 ft	–
JulyJul	93°	75°	9.26 in	24	7.0	86°	3.4 ft	–
AugustAug	93°	75°	12.75 in	27	6.8	87°	3.4 ft	2
SeptemberSep	92°	75°	10.77 in	23	6.0	86°	3.8 ft	4
OctoberOct	92°	74°	4.31 in	8	7.0	86°	3.4 ft	6
NovemberNov	89°	68°	0.95 in	2	7.2	83°	3.2 ft	–
DecemberDec	85°	62°	0.58 in	2	6.3	78°	3.2 ft	–

Month	Water	Waves	Cyclones
Jan	76°	3.3 ft	–
Feb	75°	3.3 ft	–
Mar	74°	3.4 ft	–
Apr	76°	3.4 ft	–
May	79°	3.6 ft	–
Jun	83°	3.7 ft	–
Jul	86°	3.4 ft	–
Aug	87°	3.4 ft	2
Sep	86°	3.8 ft	4
Oct	86°	3.4 ft	6
Nov	83°	3.2 ft	–
Dec	78°	3.2 ft	–

Days: rainy days in the month. Sun: hours a day.

A normal year brings 43.13 in of rain on about 99 days and about 2,550 hours of sunshine.

Cyclones: how many tropical cyclones (tropical storms, hurricanes and typhoons) passed within 93 mi in each month from 1996 to 2025, according to IBTrACS (NOAA).

1991–2020 averages. Highs, lows and rainfall: TerraClimate; rainy days (0.04 in or more): NASA POWER (MERRA-2); sunshine hours: estimated from solar radiation; water: NOAA OISST; waves (average height): ERA5, 2011–2020. Normals are not a forecast: any given year can turn out very different. Sources and licenses

Temperature

Now74 °Ffeels like 82 °F

Tomorrow73 / 88 °F

It's 74 °F now (feels like 82 °F). Today, 73 °F to 87 °F; tomorrow, 73 °F to 88 °F.

Chance of rain

Today 86% 0.15 in
Fri 30 20%
Sat 31 0%
Sun 1 0%
Mon 2 2%
Tue 3 2%
Wed 4 2%

Today the chance of rain reaches 86%, with 0.15 in in total. No significant rain expected this week.

Recent rain: last 24 hours, 1.76 in; last 3 days, 3.08 in; last 7 days, 3.87 in.

Humidity and dew point

Humidity94%

Dew point73 °F

Humidity is 94% now and the dew point is 73 °F. With a dew point this high, it feels muggy. The temperature is very close to the dew point: fog may form.

The dew point is the temperature at which the air becomes saturated: the higher it is, the heavier the air feels.

Visibility and fog

Now14 migood

Clouds85%

Visibility is good now (14 mi). No fog expected today.

UV index

Now0

Today's peak8high

Fri 30: 8 · Sat 31: 8 · Sun 1: 5

Index	Level	What to do
0–2	low	No special protection needed.
3–5	moderate	Hat, sunglasses and sunscreen around midday.
6–7	high	Sunscreen, hat and shade between 12 and 4 pm.
8–10	very high	Avoid the midday sun; reflection off the water adds to it.
11+	extreme	Avoid the sun between 11 am and 5 pm; protect yourself even if it is cloudy.

Reflection off water and sand adds radiation: protect yourself more on a boat or at the beach.

Barometric pressure

↗ Rising Anglers say fish bite less for a while
→ Steady · now Anglers expect normal activity
↘ Falling Anglers say fish feed more before the change

29.8029.9030.00 29.95

Steady now (−0.03 inHg in 3 hours). It barely changes over the next 48 hours. Steady pressure: anglers expect normal activity. Fast changes, either way, tend to affect fishing.

Air and pollen

Air qualityFair · 21

Saharan dustNo

Previous days

The weather over the last 30 days, as the models analyzed it. Tap a day to see it hour by hour.

Day	Sky	Low / high	Rain	Max wind
Wed 28	Thunderstorm	74 / 79 °F	2.02 in	7 mph NE
Tue 27	Heavy drizzle	75 / 87 °F	0.37 in	7 mph E
Mon 26	Thunderstorm	74 / 87 °F	0.67 in	6 mph SSW
Sun 25	Light showers	76 / 90 °F	0.22 in	9 mph ESE
Sat 24	Thunderstorm	73 / 91 °F	0.41 in	8 mph ENE
Fri 23	Drizzle	77 / 93 °F	0.14 in	9 mph NNW
Thu 22	Overcast	81 / 92 °F	0	11 mph NW

Show all 30 days

Day	Sky	Low / high	Rain	Max wind
Wed 21	Overcast	80 / 94 °F	0	10 mph NNW
Tue 20	Mainly clear	80 / 93 °F	0	8 mph NW
Mon 19	Overcast	79 / 91 °F	0	8 mph NW
Sun 18	Overcast	79 / 93 °F	0	8 mph E
Sat 17	Drizzle	79 / 86 °F	0.07 in	5 mph NNE
Fri 16	Light drizzle	76 / 91 °F	0.11 in	6 mph E
Thu 15	Thunderstorm	76 / 91 °F	0.70 in	6 mph SE
Wed 14	Thunderstorm	77 / 92 °F	1.30 in	8 mph NNW
Tue 13	Thunderstorm	77 / 92 °F	0.24 in	7 mph ENE
Mon 12	Thunderstorm	78 / 88 °F	0.41 in	9 mph NNW
Sun 11	Light drizzle	81 / 93 °F	0.01 in	6 mph NNW
Sat 10	Drizzle	79 / 91 °F	0.25 in	4 mph SSW
Fri 9	Drizzle	77 / 92 °F	0.07 in	6 mph NNW
Thu 8	Heavy drizzle	77 / 90 °F	0.25 in	7 mph W
Wed 7	Thunderstorm	77 / 89 °F	0.58 in	7 mph SW
Tue 6	Light drizzle	78 / 91 °F	0.06 in	8 mph NW
Mon 5	Thunderstorm	77 / 92 °F	0.81 in	7 mph N
Sun 4	Thunderstorm	77 / 91 °F	1.71 in	6 mph NNE
Sat 3	Light showers	76 / 91 °F	0.66 in	9 mph ENE
Fri 2	Light showers	77 / 90 °F	0.63 in	9 mph NNE
Thu 1	Heavy drizzle	79 / 92 °F	0.24 in	8 mph NW
Wed 30	Thunderstorm	79 / 89 °F	0.46 in	5 mph S
Tue 29	Light showers	78 / 89 °F	0.37 in	7 mph NE

These are the models at the start of each day (ECMWF and GFS; waves from Météo-France), not readings from a weather station: there can be differences at specific spots.

Questions about the weather in Santa CruzQuestions

What's the weather like today in Santa Cruz?

Drizzle, from 73 °F to 87 °F, with a light breeze from the east-southeast (5 mph) and a 86% chance of rain.

Will it rain tomorrow in Santa Cruz?

On Friday 30 the chance of rain is 20% (0.00 in): partly cloudy.

How warm will it be this week?

Between a low of 73 °F and a high of 89 °F; the warmest day, Tuesday 3.

What's the UV index today?

It reaches 8 (high). Sunscreen, hat and shade between 12 and 4 pm.

Is the pressure rising or falling?

It's 29.85 inHg and steady: −0.02 inHg over the last 24 hours.

When is the best time to visit Santa Cruz?

The best time to visit Santa Cruz is from December to April: highs of 85 °F to 89 °F, barely 1 rainy day a month and 7 hours of sunshine a day.

What is the weather like in Santa Cruz in October?

In October, Santa Cruz normally sees highs of 92 °F and lows of 74 °F, with about 8 rainy days (4.31 in for the month) and 7 hours of sunshine a day. The sea is around 86 °F. These are 1991–2020 averages.

What are the warmest and wettest months in Santa Cruz?

The warmest is July, with average highs of 93 °F, and the coldest February, with lows of 59 °F. The wettest is August (12.75 in) and the driest, April.

When is hurricane season in Santa Cruz?

Hurricane season: from September to October, peaking in October. In the last 30 years (1996–2025), 12 tropical cyclones passed within 93 mi of Santa Cruz, about 4 every 10 years; 7 of them with hurricane-force winds (74 mph or more). The most recent: Orlene, in October 2022.

More about Santa Cruz today

Weather near Santa Cruz

Only places with a different forecast: spots a few miles apart share the same model cell and wouldn't add anything.

Learn more

Weather: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0, with the best model for each spot and lead time (NOAA HRRR and NBM in the U.S., Météo-France AROME, DWD ICON-EU, ECMWF IFS and NOAA GFS); ECMWF grid point 6.7 mi away. The comparison also uses ICON (DWD), AIFS (ECMWF) and ARPEGE (Météo-France). Outlook: ECMWF 46-day and SEAS5. Chance of rain from ensemble models (ECMWF, GEFS and NBM). UV, air quality and pollen: CAMS (Copernicus).

Forecast from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0) with models from ECMWF, NOAA, Météo-France, DWD, Copernicus Marine and CAMS. Updated at 5:10 am (local time).

Spotted a mistake? Tell us · Where the weather and sea data come from