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Climate · Lake San Marcos

Lake San Marcos, CA climate

Lake San Marcos has warm winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 45°, and snow is almost unheard of.

NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decade
July high
82°
378th coolest of 1,618 California towns
January low
45°
201st mildest of 1,618 California towns
Rain + melted snow
13 in
497th driest of 1,618 California towns
Snow a winter
0.0 in
470th snowiest of 1,499 California towns
A normal year

What a year in Lake San Marcos feels like

Winter

67° / 45°
Typical high / low · Snow is rare

Spring

70° / 51°
Typical high / low · Frost is rare by spring

Summer

81° / 61°
Typical high / low · 21 days reach 90° in a normal year

Fall

78° / 56°
Typical high / low · Mild well into the fall
Best months to be outsideJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month

Lake San Marcos weather by month

Average highs, lows, rain and snow for every month, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals.

MonthHighLowRain + meltSnowWet daysSnow on ground30-yr range
January67°45°2.5" 070 53° – 61°
February67°46°2.9" 070 53° – 63°
March68°48°2.2" 060 53° – 64°
April70°50°0.9" 040 56° – 65°
May72°55°0.3" 030 60° – 68°
June77°58°0.1" 010 63° – 71°
July82°62°0.1" 010 68° – 77°
August84°63°0.0" 000 71° – 77°
September83°62°0.1" 010 69° – 77°
October78°56°0.6" 020 63° – 72°
November72°49°1.1" 040 54° – 65°
December67°44°2.0" 060 52° – 59°
Year74°53°12.8"0.0"410

“Wet days” have at least 0.01" of rain or melted snow. “Snow on ground” counts days with 1" or more. The 30-year range is the coldest and warmest that month’s average temperature got between 1991 and 2020.

Rain & snow

Rain and snow in Lake San Marcos

Lake San Marcos gets 13 inches of rain and melted snow a year. February is the wettest month and August the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 41 days a year.

13 in
Rain + melted snow a year
Less rain than 96% of U.S. towns
0.0 in
Snow in a normal winter
Less snow than 96% of U.S. towns
0 days
With 1"+ of snow on the ground
Fewer than 94% of U.S. towns

Rain + melted snow by month

Inches of water
2.9"

Snowfall by month

No measurable snow in a normal year.
Frost & the growing season

A year-round growing season

🌿 Only about one winter in 5 dip to 32° here (21% of years), so gardens can grow year-round.
<1
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
0
nights below 0° in a normal year
21
days that reach 90° in a normal year

90° days by month

Average days at 90° or more
Heating & cooling

Heating and cooling a home in Lake San Marcos

Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Lake San Marcos, 61% of that work is heating and 39% is cooling.

61%heating
1,474 heating degree daysLess heating than 95% of U.S. towns
924 cooling degree daysMore cooling than 56% of U.S. towns

Degree days measure how far each day’s average temperature falls below or rises above 65°, added up over a year. Source: NOAA station normals.

Around Lake San Marcos

Lake San Marcos and its neighbors

Lake San Marcos borders 2 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 1.5°. San Marcos has both the coldest January nights (45°) and the hottest July afternoons (82°). Lake San Marcos’s January low is 45° and its July high 82°.

Encinitas: January low 48°, July high 74°Oceanside: January low 47°, July high 78°Vista: January low 46°, July high 81°Escondido: January low 42°, July high 87°Harmony Grove: January low 44°, July high 84°Elfin Forest: January low 45°, July high 80°Carlsbad: January low 47°, July high 77°San Marcos: January low 45°, July high 82°Lake San Marcos: January low 45°, July high 82° Lake San MarcosCarlsbadSan Marcos
ColderMilder42° to 48°
Lake San Marcos45.0°
San Marcos45.0° same
Carlsbad46.5° +1.5°

Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value.

Compared with other towns

How Lake San Marcos compares

Summer heat82° July high
Cooler than 78% of U.S. towns378th coolest of 1,618 California towns
Winter cold45° January low
Milder than 97% of U.S. towns201st mildest of 1,618 California towns
Precipitation13" a year
Drier than 96% of U.S. towns