Driest Weekend Near San Diego — Skip the Washout — Santa Maria

Drier outlooks than hanging around San Diego: Santa Maria (75°F) and Malibu (73°F).

By Travel With YouGee

Today through Sunday

Santa Maria, California

°F · Live via Google Weather

Today

74°F/ 47°F

Sunny

0% chance ·

Thu

72°F/ 56°F

Sunny

10% chance ·

Fri

74°F/ 54°F

Sunny

5% chance ·

Sat

73°F/ 53°F

Sunny

0% chance ·

Sun

73°F/ 53°F

Sunny

5% chance ·

Santa Maria 75° · Malibu 73° · Santa Monica 72°

Weekend highs and rain totals below are the evidence.

The question

What destinations match this weather decision this weekend?

Weekend comparison

DestinationHighRainMatchTravel
Santa Maria, California75°F0.05"99%~243 mi drive
Malibu, California73°F0.13"99%~130 mi drive
Santa Monica, California72°F0.15"99%~118 mi drive

Where to go

Featured: Santa Maria, California

Santa Maria in California is one of the clearer matches for hiking weather on this weekend’s board — a 75°F high and 54°F low with a dry outlook with little to no rain.

Call it a hidden gem or a familiar favorite — either way, the point is the outlook. Travelers trying to find your perfect weather for 2026-09-05 – 2026-09-06 should shortlist Santa Maria before the hotter or wetter options crowd the tab.

Use it as a concrete recommendation: fly or drive for hiking weather, keep an eye on updates, and treat 75°F as your planning anchor — not a vague “nice weather somewhere.”

Things to do

  1. Waller Park (4.6): Park
  2. The Historic Santa Maria Inn (4.1): Hotel
  3. Boomers Santa Maria (4.5): Amusement park

2. Malibu, California

Malibu, California Photo: Wikipedia · Malibu, California

If you’re scanning for current recommendations, put Malibu near the top of the list: weekend air around 73°F / 65°F, plus only light rain on the books (~0.13 in).

Call it a hidden gem or a familiar favorite — either way, the point is the outlook. Travelers trying to find your perfect weather for 2026-09-05 – 2026-09-06 should shortlist Malibu before the hotter or wetter options crowd the tab.

Use it as a concrete recommendation: fly or drive for hiking weather, keep an eye on updates, and treat 73°F as your planning anchor — not a vague “nice weather somewhere.”

Things to do

  1. Malibu Pier (4.5): Iconic circa-1905 pier next to the beach, with shops, restaurants, fishing & people-watching.
  2. Point Dume (4.8): Tranquil coastal area featuring trails & rocky coves, plus blufftop views of Santa Catalina Island.
  3. El Matador State Beach (4.7): A collection of 3 small cliff-foot beaches with blufftop parking popular in the summertime.

3. Santa Monica, California

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

72°F high · 0.15" rain · ~118 mi drive

Weather checklist

Weather checklist1
  • Evening temperatures can drop from about 75°F to 54°F after sunset — pack a layer.

Bottom line

Santa Maria leads this weekend's board. Use the comparison table if you need a Plan B.

Keep planning


Updated September 1, 2026. Not a substitute for local advisories.

Get the weather you want

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