Santa Barbara weather in November
November in Santa Barbara: nice, a little rain, with clean air — a great time to visit.
Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis
#8 of 12 months in Santa Barbara · #558 of 1413 destinations to visit in November · comfort 77/100 (tier B)
- Days
- 21°C
- Nights
- 10°C
- Wet days
- 3
- Sun
- 8.9 h
- Humidity
- 55%
- Daylight
- 10 h

Traveller notes on Santa Barbara in November
Other months in Santa Barbara
Regulars name this month's own local phenomenon, June Gloom, a morning marine fog that regulars say burns off by around 10:30am most days but can roll back in fast at sunset - averaging about 22 foggy days across the month, occasionally enough to disrupt flights at the local airport. Our row backs that mild, genuinely dry read, 23.3C over 14.6C nights, with rain essentially absent, 2.9mm across half a day on average, and humidity at 61 percent. Regulars are consistent there's no way to predict which days get hit, foggy one morning and clear the next, with a short drive inland to Santa Ynez reliably escaping it into sun and real heat. Mornings spent on State Street or at the mission, afternoons at the beach once the fog lifts, is the standard local rhythm. The sea sits at a cool 17C. The record: 13.4 hours of sun, a 13.8 kph wind and AQI 38.
Regulars name this and September as the region's best weather months, with the summer fog largely gone and rain not yet arrived, making it a genuinely reliable stretch rather than a compromise season. Our row backs the settled, dry read, 24.8C over 13.8C nights, with rain minimal, 11.1mm across under a day, and humidity down to 54 percent. Regulars are consistent that evenings and nights still turn genuinely chilly enough for at least a light jacket, even on a warm-feeling afternoon, and that a rain jacket is rarely needed this time of year even if an umbrella is worth packing just in case. The sea sits at a cool 18.2C. The record: 10.3 hours of sun, a 12.7 kph wind and AQI 35.
Santa Barbara-forum threads on January weather are candid that the month is genuinely a gamble - fog, rain and grey skies are all real possibilities, but so is a perfectly sunny, mild day, and posters describe the actual mix as coming down to luck more than a predictable pattern. What's consistent regardless of the specific day: it runs noticeably cooler than the region's summer reputation suggests, and the ocean itself sits cold enough that swimming isn't appealing even on a warm afternoon. Regulars recommend layering, plus a proper windproof or rain-ready jacket kept handy. Despite the weather roulette, posters are consistent that January is still worth the visit for anyone willing to take the gamble, wine country day trips and the waterfront both holding up fine under cloud as well as sun. The record: 18.2C days feeling like 16C, 8.2C nights, a notably high 108mm across 5.4 days, a 14.2C sea, 64 percent humidity and 8.1 hours of sun.
July in Santa Barbara is when June Gloom thins to a morning habit. The marine layer that grey-outs May and June usually burns off by the afternoon in July, and regulars are clear that no one can predict it - foggy one day, sunny the next, with fog on about 22 June days in an average year, enough to disrupt flights out of the airport a dozen times in a month. The escape is a drive: over the 154 to Santa Ynez, about 45 minutes, where the same day is sunny and in the 80s. Our row gives 25.2C reading as 28C, with 0.5 precipitation days and an 18.2C sea. The record: 15.8C nights, humidity 62 percent and 13.3 hours of sun.
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Santa Barbara climate normals — November
Monthly averages from ERA5 reanalysis. AQI is the mean US Air Quality Index for the month.
Crowds in Santa Barbara in November
How busy the place itself is — school and mass holidays, the months an editor tagged, and how sought-after the weather makes them. Never part of the comfort score.
BusyThanksgiving break in United States(estimated)
Peak crowdsBusyShoulder seasonQuiet
Best months for Santa Barbara's weather
Ranked by this destination's own climate comfort score across the year — a different thing from how busy it gets (see Crowds above).
Fair weatherSanta Barbara's weather peaks July–September, best around August.
Best weatherFair weatherToughest weather
What's on in Santa Barbara in November
Recurring seasonal events, natural spectacles, closures and holidays — curated and sourced.
- Hazard
Sundowner wind and fire season
15 Sep – 15 Dec · usuallySmoke seasonHot dry winds fall down the Santa Ynez range onto the town in the evenings of late autumn, which is when this coast's serious fires have started. The season ends with the first real rain. Source ↗
Nearby, and something's on
Within 300 km of Santa Barbara — a day trip or a short hop — with something on this month. Never part of the comfort score.
Where is Santa Barbara?
Santa Barbara in November — FAQ
- Is November a good time to visit Santa Barbara?
- November in Santa Barbara: nice, a little rain, with clean air — a great time to visit. It ranks #8 of 12 months for Santa Barbara on SeasonMap's comfort score (77/100).
- What is the weather like in Santa Barbara in November?
- In November, Santa Barbara averages a daily high of 21.3°C and a low of 10.4°C, with about 46 mm of rain over roughly 2.7 rainy days.
- What is the air quality in Santa Barbara in November?
- Santa Barbara has a mean US Air Quality Index of about 33 in November.
Within 300 km: Los Angeles' Dia de los Muertos around 25 Oct – 3 Nov, and Laguna Beach's Sawdust Winter Fantasy around 20 Nov – 21 Dec.