Everyone wants a bit of a blissful breeze or a scoop of sunny sanctuary when looking for a place to live in California.
The more sun, the more you can go outside. The more you go outside, the more you’ll feel at peace. The more you’ll feel at peace, the more you’ll enjoy where you live.
So it makes sense to try and find the places with the best weather in California. We used Saturday Night Science to compare the number of sunny days, total precipitation, and the deviation from the ideal 70-degree weather for 21 places in California over 200,000 people.
Grab your shades and put away your raincoat as we look at the cities with the best weather in California.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Table
The 10 Cities With The Best Weather In California For 2024
What city has the best weather in California, with more than 200,000 people? The city with the best weather in California is Anaheim with 0.0 sunny days and an average high of 74.4 degrees.
Read on below to see where your city ranked.
And if you already knew these places were beautiful, check out the best places to live in California or the cheapest places in California.
The 10 Snowiest Cities In California For 2024
Population: 345,578
Average Annual High: 74.4 degrees
Average Annual Low: 54.4 degrees
Average Annual Snowfall: 0.0 inches
Average Annual Precipitation: 13.3 inches
Sunny Days: 342.1 days
More on Anaheim: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Population: 333,268
Average Annual High: 74.4 degrees
Average Annual Low: 54.4 degrees
Average Annual Snowfall: 0.0 inches
Average Annual Precipitation: 13.3 inches
Sunny Days: 342.1 days
More on Santa Ana: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Population: 238,474
Average Annual High: 74.4 degrees
Average Annual Low: 54.4 degrees
Average Annual Snowfall: 0.0 inches
Average Annual Precipitation: 13.3 inches
Sunny Days: 342.1 days
More on Irvine: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Population: 203,495
Average Annual High: 72.0 degrees
Average Annual Low: 51.7 degrees
Average Annual Snowfall: 0.0 inches
Average Annual Precipitation: 17.2 inches
Sunny Days: 341.0 days
More on Oxnard: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Population: 1,359,791
Average Annual High: 73.0 degrees
Average Annual Low: 51.8 degrees
Average Annual Snowfall: 1.2 inches
Average Annual Precipitation: 13.2 inches
Sunny Days: 340.7 days
More on San Diego: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Population: 257,296
Average Annual High: 73.0 degrees
Average Annual Low: 51.8 degrees
Average Annual Snowfall: 1.2 inches
Average Annual Precipitation: 13.2 inches
Sunny Days: 340.7 days
More on Chula Vista: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Population: 316,335
Average Annual High: 81.2 degrees
Average Annual Low: 52.0 degrees
Average Annual Snowfall: 1.7 inches
Average Annual Precipitation: 10.0 inches
Sunny Days: 347.0 days
More on Riverside: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Population: 200,788
Average Annual High: 81.2 degrees
Average Annual Low: 52.0 degrees
Average Annual Snowfall: 1.7 inches
Average Annual Precipitation: 10.0 inches
Sunny Days: 347.0 days
More on Moreno Valley: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Population: 3,900,794
Average Annual High: 75.3 degrees
Average Annual Low: 54.1 degrees
Average Annual Snowfall: 0.2 inches
Average Annual Precipitation: 16.2 inches
Sunny Days: 342.3 days
More on Los Angeles: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Population: 470,237
Average Annual High: 75.3 degrees
Average Annual Low: 54.1 degrees
Average Annual Snowfall: 0.2 inches
Average Annual Precipitation: 16.2 inches
Sunny Days: 342.3 days
More on Long Beach: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
How We Determined The Cities In California With The Best Weather
To rank the most fair weather cities in California, we used Saturday Night Science and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) database, to see which cities in the Golden State get the best weather.
We used the following criteria to find the best weather:
- Number of sunny days
- Highest average low
- Average high deviation from 70 degrees
- Least amount of rain
- Least amount of snow
We ranked each city of over 200,000 people in California from best to worst on each criterion. We then averaged each ranking into a weather quality index. The city with the best index, Anaheim, was anointed the city with the best weather in California.
Before we get too far, here are the annual precipitation rates for major cities:
- Los Angeles — 16.2 inches
- San Diego — 13.2 inches
- San Jose — 17.4 inches
The cities with the best weather in California are Anaheim, Santa Ana, Irvine, Oxnard, San Diego, Chula Vista, Riverside, Moreno Valley, Los Angeles, and Long Beach.
There’s a complete chart at the bottom.
If you’re curious, here are the places with the worst weather in California:
- San Francisco
- Fresno
- Fontana
For more California reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In California
- Most Dangerous Cities In California
- Best Places To Raise A Family In California
Detailed List Of Places With The Best Weather In California
| Rank | City | Population | Sunny Days | Avg. High | Precipitation (Inches) | Snow (Inches) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anaheim | 345,578 | 342.1 | 74.4 | 13.3 | 0.0 |
| 2 | Santa Ana | 333,268 | 342.1 | 74.4 | 13.3 | 0.0 |
| 3 | Irvine | 238,474 | 342.1 | 74.4 | 13.3 | 0.0 |
| 4 | Oxnard | 203,495 | 341.0 | 72.0 | 17.2 | 0.0 |
| 5 | San Diego | 1,359,791 | 340.7 | 73.0 | 13.2 | 1.2 |
| 6 | Chula Vista | 257,296 | 340.7 | 73.0 | 13.2 | 1.2 |
| 7 | Riverside | 316,335 | 347.0 | 81.2 | 10.0 | 1.7 |
| 8 | Moreno Valley | 200,788 | 347.0 | 81.2 | 10.0 | 1.7 |
| 9 | Los Angeles | 3,900,794 | 342.3 | 75.3 | 16.2 | 0.2 |
| 10 | Long Beach | 470,237 | 342.3 | 75.3 | 16.2 | 0.2 |
| 11 | Modesto | 207,482 | 329.4 | 75.0 | 13.3 | 0.1 |
| 12 | Bakersfield | 363,612 | 342.7 | 75.7 | 8.4 | 1.7 |
| 13 | Oakland | 408,073 | 322.2 | 67.8 | 21.8 | 0.0 |
| 14 | Fremont | 225,221 | 322.2 | 67.8 | 21.8 | 0.0 |
| 15 | Sacramento | 480,566 | 323.6 | 74.3 | 20.3 | 0.0 |
| 16 | Stockton | 299,722 | 325.4 | 74.6 | 15.0 | 0.0 |
| 17 | San Jose | 1,000,860 | 327.1 | 71.1 | 17.4 | 1.6 |
| 18 | San Bernardino | 214,112 | 343.0 | 76.0 | 14.2 | 9.0 |
| 19 | Fontana | 203,677 | 343.0 | 76.0 | 14.2 | 9.0 |
| 20 | Fresno | 510,451 | 333.8 | 75.1 | 14.8 | 7.0 |
| 21 | San Francisco | 840,763 | 320.3 | 64.2 | 23.8 | 0.0 |
