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.
342.1 sunny days · 74.4 degree average high
Located in
Orange County, California
Anaheim is a city in Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a population of 336,265, making it the most populous city in Orange County and the 10th-most populous city in California. Anaheim is the second-largest city in Orange County in terms of land area and is known for its theme parks, the Anaheim Convention Center, and its two major sports teams: the Anaheim Ducks ice hockey club and the Angels baseball team.
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342.1 sunny days · 74.4 degree average high
Located in
Orange County, California
Santa Ana is the county seat and second most populous city in Orange County, California. The United States Census Bureau estimated its 2011 population at 329,427, making Santa Ana the 57th most-populous city in the United States.
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342.1 sunny days · 74.4 degree average high
Located in
Orange County, California
Irvine is a master-planned city in Orange County, California, United States. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the 1960s and the city was formally incorporated on December 28, 1971. The 66-square-mile city had a population of 212,375 as of the 2010 census; in 2016 the city’s population was 258,386.
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341.0 sunny days · 72.0 degree average high
Located in
Ventura County, California
Oxnard is a city in the United States, located along the coast of Southern California. It is the 19th most populous city in California and the most populous in Ventura County. The city lies approximately 60 miles west of downtown Los Angeles and is part of the larger Greater Los Angeles area. The population of Oxnard is 207,906. Oxnard is the most populous city in the Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is listed as one of the wealthiest areas in America, with its residents making well above the average national income.
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340.7 sunny days · 73.0 degree average high
Located in
San Diego County, California
San Diego is a major city in California, United States. It is in San Diego County, on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, approximately 120 miles south of Los Angeles and immediately adjacent to the border with Mexico.
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340.7 sunny days · 73.0 degree average high
Located in
San Diego County, California
Chula Vista is the second largest city in the San Diego metropolitan area, the seventh largest city in Southern California, the fourteenth largest city in the state of California, and the 76th-largest city in the United States. The population was 243,916 as of the 2010 census.
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347.0 sunny days · 81.2 degree average high
Located in
Riverside County, California
Riverside is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, located in the Inland Empire metropolitan area. Riverside is the county seat of the eponymous county and named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. It is the most populous city in the Inland Empire and in Riverside County, and is located about 60 miles east of Los Angeles. It is also part of the Greater Los Angeles area. Riverside is the 59th most populous city in the United States and 12th most populous city in California. As of the 2010 Census, Riverside had a population of 303,871.
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347.0 sunny days · 81.2 degree average high
Located in
Riverside County, California
Moreno Valley is a city located in Riverside County, California and is part of the San Bernardino-Riverside Metropolitan Area. A relatively young city, its rapid growth from the 1980s to the early 2000s made it the second-largest city in Riverside County by population, and one of the Inland Empire’s population centers. As of the 2010 census, the city’s population was 193,365. The city is closely tied to Riverside, California, the county seat and largest city in the county, which neighbors Moreno Valley directly to the west. Moreno Valley is also part of the Greater Los Angeles area.
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342.3 sunny days · 75.3 degree average high
Located in
Los Angeles County, California
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342.3 sunny days · 75.3 degree average high
Located in
Los Angeles County, California
Long Beach is a city on the Pacific Coast of the United States, within the Greater Los Angeles area of Southern California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257. It is the 36th most populous city in the United States and the 7th most populous in California. Long Beach is the second largest city in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, and the third largest in Southern California behind Los Angeles and San Diego.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is California’s statewide median.
On the map
Where California’s best weather is
Saturday Night Science
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), and 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.
The full plate
Detailed List Of Places With The Best Weather In California
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| 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 |
Source: NOAA climate data. 21 California cities with more than 200,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: The Cities With The Best Weather In California For 2026
If you’re looking for the California cities with the most sunny days, the least rain and snow, and highs closest to a perfect 70 degrees, this is an accurate list.
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.
