Watsonville climate — normals and trends
Watsonville (United States) has a warm-summer mediterranean climate (Csb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 13.6 °C and it receives 481 mm of precipitation per year.
These figures are normals computed over 86 complete calendar years, from 1940 to 2025, using ERA5 reanalysis data from the Copernicus programme.
The warmest month is September (17.6 °C on average) and the coldest is January (9.2 °C). Rainfall peaks in January.
Watsonville averages 3 frost days, 4 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 49 rainy days per year.
Watsonville has warmed by +1.1 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.13 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 6 to 0 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 37.5 °C (on 8 September 1944) and the coldest -4.7 °C (on 22 December 1990).
Data from ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service), redistributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence. Normals are recomputed whenever the archive is updated.
Climate normals · ERA5
WatsonvilleCalifornia
- coords
- 36.91°, -121.76°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
13.6°C
Average daily high
18.8°C
Average daily low
9.3°C
Annual rainfall
481mm
Sunshine / day
10.7h
Mean relative humidity
76%
Average peak wind
12.6km/h
Seasonal range
8.4°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
3 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
4 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
49 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.1 cm
Average feels-like high
18.4 °C
Average feels-like low
7.9 °C
Average peak gust
30.9 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
0 d/yr
Solar radiation
18.8 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.1 °C
since 1940
+0.1 °C per decade · r² = 0.32 · p = < 0.001
Trend fitted by linear regression (ordinary least squares) on annual means. A trend is shown only when it is statistically significant (p < 0.05).
A climograph overlays rainfall (bars) and temperature (line): the standard reading in climatology, where you can see at a glance whether the warm season is also the dry one.
Records for the period
Hottest day
37.5 °C
8 September 1944
Coldest day
-4.7 °C
22 December 1990
Wettest day
98 mm
13 October 2009
Windiest day
42.2 km/h
22 December 1982
Strongest gust
115.9 km/h
14 February 1986
Hottest feels-like
39.0 °C
3 August 1998
Coldest feels-like
-8.9 °C
22 December 1990
Snowiest day
1.8 cm
18 January 1955
Sunniest day
14.1 h
19 June 1940
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
Pick a year and see how it compares to normal — warmer, drier or more extreme than usual?
Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15.9 °C | +1.7 °C | 9 mm | -86 mm |
| Feb | 16.3 °C | +1.0 °C | 127 mm | +34 mm |
| Mar | 16.0 °C | 0.0 °C | 88 mm | +12 mm |
| Apr | 17.0 °C | -0.5 °C | 14 mm | -22 mm |
| May | 19.7 °C | +0.7 °C | 2 mm | -12 mm |
| Jun | 19.5 °C | -1.7 °C | 0 mm | -2 mm |
| Jul | 20.0 °C | -2.9 °C | 0 mm | -1 mm |
| Aug | 22.7 °C | -0.4 °C | 1 mm | +0 mm |
| Sep | 22.8 °C | -0.5 °C | 5 mm | +1 mm |
| Oct | 20.5 °C | -0.8 °C | 26 mm | +6 mm |
| Nov | 18.0 °C | +0.6 °C | 98 mm | +44 mm |
| Dec | 15.4 °C | +1.0 °C | 62 mm | -23 mm |
The year's extremes
What was the weather like that day?
Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.
Frequently asked questions
What is the climate of Watsonville?
Watsonville has a warm-summer mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 13.6 °C and it receives 481 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Watsonville?
The hottest day measured in Watsonville between 1940 and 2025 was 8 September 1944, reaching 37.5 °C.
What is the coldest day in Watsonville?
The coldest day measured in Watsonville between 1940 and 2025 was 22 December 1990, at -4.7 °C.
Does it snow in Watsonville?
Almost never: Watsonville sees virtually no snow, with about 3 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Watsonville warmed?
Yes: Watsonville warmed by +1.1 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Watsonville?
The wettest day measured in Watsonville between 1940 and 2025 was 13 October 2009, with 98 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Watsonville?
The windiest day measured in Watsonville between 1940 and 2025 was 22 December 1982, with winds reaching 42.2 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Watsonville?
The warmest month in Watsonville is September (17.6 °C on average); the coldest is January (9.2 °C).
How much does it rain in Watsonville?
Watsonville receives on average 481 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 49 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Watsonville?
Watsonville gets on average 10.7 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,905 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Watsonville?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Watsonville between 1940 and 2025 was 18 January 1955, with 1.8 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Watsonville?
Almost never: tropical nights (temperature staying above 20 °C) are virtually non-existent in Watsonville.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Watsonville?
In Watsonville, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 39.0 °C on 3 August 1998, and the lowest was -8.9 °C on 22 December 1990.
Compare Watsonville with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Watsonville