Season guide · San Diego · United States
San Diego in autumn
September–November: weather, crowds, prices and the best things to do this time of year.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Roman Eugeniusz, CC BY-SA 3.0
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Quick answer
Warm sea, clear skies and fewer visitors; occasional Santa Ana heat waves in October. Expect highs up to 25°C (77°F) and lows around 12°C (54°F), with about 7 rainy days across September–November. September–October are among the best months of the year to visit.
Key facts
- Months
- September–November
- Temperatures
- 12°C (54°F) to 25°C (77°F)
- Rainy days in the season
- About 7
- Sea
- 17°C (63°F) to 21°C (70°F)
- Crowds
- Moderate
- Hotel prices
- Average
Weather in autumn
| Month | High | Low | Rainy days | Daylight | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September | 25°C (77°F) | 19°C (66°F) | 1 | 12.3 h | 3/5 |
| October | 23°C (73°F) | 16°C (61°F) | 2 | 11.3 h | 3/5 |
| November | 21°C (70°F) | 12°C (54°F) | 4 | 10.4 h | 2/5 |
Compared with the rest of the year: average highs of 23°C (73°F) against a yearly 22°C (72°F), and 7 of the year's roughly 41 rainy days fall in these 3 months. Crowds rate 3/5 and hotel prices 3/5 on average.
What's on in autumn
Recurring events; dates move from year to year, so confirm with the organiser.
- October: Fleet Week events (usually autumn)
Make the most of the weather
Historic site · Point Loma
Cabrillo National Monument
At the tip of Point Loma, this National Park Service site commemorates Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo's 1542 landing, the first European expedition on the US West Coast.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Views
- History
- Kids
- Nature
Viewpoint · Point Loma
Sunset Cliffs Natural Park
Stay back from the cliff edges, which are unstable and unfenced in places.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Views
- Couples
- Photo spot
Aquarium · La Jolla
Birch Aquarium at Scripps
Run by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the aquarium has a three-storey kelp forest tank, seahorses, a shark reef and exhibits on ocean science.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Nature
- Views
Waterfront · Mission Beach
Mission Bay and Belmont Park
Rent bikes and ride the ocean-front boardwalk from Mission Beach to Pacific Beach.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Active
Park · Balboa Park
Balboa Park
Built largely for the 1915–16 Panama–California Exposition, Balboa Park lines El Prado with Spanish Colonial Revival buildings housing museums including the San Diego Museum of Art, the Museum of Us, the Fleet Science Center and the Natural History Museum.
- Time needed
- Half a day to a full day
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Architecture
- Kids
- Art
- Outdoors
Day trips in autumn
- Encinitas and the North County coast (About 35 minutes by car or Coaster) — A string of surf towns north of the city: Del Mar's beach and racetrack, Solana Beach's cliffs, and Encinitas with Swami's surf break, the Self-Realization Fellowship meditation gardens and a main street of cafés.
- Julian (About 1 hour 15 minutes by car) — A former 1870s gold-mining town in the Cuyamaca Mountains, known for apple pie, autumn apple picking and an old-west main street.
What to pack
- Light layers for the day and a light jacket for the evening
- Comfortable walking shoes
Other times of year
Questions travellers ask
+Is autumn a good time to visit San Diego?
Yes: September–October are among the best months. Warm sea, clear skies and fewer visitors; occasional Santa Ana heat waves in October.
+What is the weather like in San Diego in autumn?
Highs of up to 25°C (77°F) and lows around 12°C (54°F), with about 7 rainy days over the season.