Don't Let a Washout Wreck This Weekend — Drier Places Ranked — Santa Monica

From San Diego, Santa Monica (75°F) and San Luis Obispo (74°F) land near 70–75°F this weekend.

By Travel With YouGee

Today through Sunday

Santa Monica, California

°F · Live via Google Weather

Today

71°F/ 65°F

Sunny

0% chance ·

Thu

71°F/ 64°F

Sunny

0% chance ·

Fri

71°F/ 64°F

Sunny

0% chance ·

Sat

70°F/ 65°F

Mostly sunny

0% chance · 0.00 in

Sun

70°F/ 65°F

Light rain

40% chance · 0.12 in

Santa Monica, California Photo: Wikipedia · Santa Monica, California

Where near San Diego has 70°F weather this weekend?

Before you lock plans out of San Diego, read the weekend numbers. Santa Monica (75°F) is on the board for a reason.

The question

Where near San Diego has 70°F weather this weekend?

Versus home

Home-area weekend high sits near 77°F. Here’s how the shortlist compares:

PlaceWeekend highvs home
Santa Monica75°Fsimilar
San Luis Obispo74°Fsimilar
Lake Tahoe72°Fsimilar

Weekend comparison

DestinationHighRainMatchTravel
Santa Monica, California75°F0.03"99%~118 mi drive
San Luis Obispo, California74°F0.03"99%~267 mi drive
Lake Tahoe, California72°F0.02"99%~469 mi

Where to go

1. Santa Monica, California

Santa Monica in California is one of the clearer matches for mid-70s sweet-spot weekends on this weekend’s board — a 75°F high and 66°F low with a dry outlook with little to no rain.

What makes Santa Monica useful isn’t hype; it’s timing. For 2026-08-16, it reads like a place where you can help plan a short getaway around Goldilocks weather and still have a backup café if a cloud shows up.

Bottom line for Santa Monica: it’s on this list because it supports current recommendations for Goldilocks weather, not because it always trends on social. That’s the difference between a real weather guide and a postcard.

Things to do

2. San Luis Obispo, California

San Luis Obispo, California Photo: Wikipedia · San Luis Obispo, California

If you’re scanning for current recommendations, put San Luis Obispo near the top of the list: weekend air around 74°F / 56°F, plus a dry outlook with little to no rain.

This is the kind of city stop you discover when you stop browsing generic guides and start asking for weather-perfect weekends. You can actually plan a trip around outdoor time here without pretending the sky will cooperate out of kindness.

If you’re comparing two or three towns, weigh San Luis Obispo’s 74°F high against how you actually want to feel outside — then lock the plan once it feels like weather you’ll love.

Things to do

3. Lake Tahoe, California

Lake Tahoe, California Photo: Wikipedia · Lake Tahoe

72°F high · 0.02" rain · ~469 mi

Before you leave

Before you leave6
  • Check the destination weather window
  • Download airline app
  • Download offline maps
  • Confirm reservations (hotel, cars, tours)
  • Review airline baggage rules
  • Share itinerary with a trusted contact

Bottom line

Start with Santa Monica (75°F). Compare the rest, then build the trip.

Keep planning


Updated August 16, 2026. Not a substitute for local advisories.

Get the weather you want

Download Travel With YouGee, or use the web at yougee.com.