Although San Luis Obispo is located several miles
from the ocean, it experiences coastal influence
in its weather which can vary significantly throughout
the day.
During the late fall on into April, SLO weather
can vary from the mid-30s at night to the 50s and
even up to the 70s during the day. Sometimes it
can warm up fairly well in the middle of January
and we've even been known to have an occasional
heat-wave during December-January (80s during the
day). The "rainy season" can begin around
December and last through March or April (It typically
doesn't rain very heavily in SLO, though El Nino
has been known to bring periodic heavy rains).
Spring weather in SLO is usually sunny with highs
in the 70s to 80s and lows in the 50s with an occasional
surprise rainy day
Summers can be a mixed bag with hot days and very
cool days which result from a marine layer (high
fog) which can sometimes last all day. A typical
summer week can consist of 2 to 3 days of sunshine,
2 to 3 days of partly cloudy (marine layer), and
1 to 2 days of heavy marine layer.
We experience an "Indian Summer" in
late September to mid-October which can push temperatures
into the 90s and even the 100s for a few days. Then
it begins to cool off as we head into winter.
The best method for dressing when living in SLO
is the "layer" method. Wear a sweat shirt
or light jacket in the morning that you can take
off as things warm up and always carry an umbrella
during the rainy season for those unexpected showers.
