Costa Mesa, California Weather
Warm winds drive dryness inland. Day 16 of summer. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Costa Mesa weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
- TodayJul 6Mostly Clear——77°61°—
- TuesdayJul 7Mostly Clear——78°59°+1°
- WednesdayJul 8Clear——85°68°+7°
- ThursdayJul 9Clear——83°69°-2°
- FridayJul 10Clear——78°68°-5°
- SaturdayJul 11Partly Cloudy——78°68°0°
- SundayJul 12Overcast——79°67°+1°
AQI 31 (Good), driven by PM2.5. AQI flat over the last 6 hours (within ±3 points). PM2.5 at 8.0 µg/m³ (AQI 44) with a 0.73 fine-to-coarse ratio and 2 mph wind — combustion smoke trapped in stagnant air, not road dust.
OK No precautions needed for the general population; unusually sensitive individuals may consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.
What's driving it
PM × Wind × Precip
PM2.5 at 8.0 µg/m³ (AQI 44) with a 0.73 fine-to-coarse ratio and 2 mph wind — combustion smoke trapped in stagnant air, not road dust.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 0.73
- Wind
- calm
- Recent rain
- 0h in last 6h
- Pattern
- stagnant smoke
Trends
Seven days of AQI and PM2.5.
Hourly air-quality data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, charted across the past and next several days. Dashed lines mark the AQI breakpoints at 50 (Good → Moderate) and 100 (Moderate → Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups).








































When the stars begin to huddle, the earth will soon become a puddle.
- Moonrise
- 11:35 PM
- Moonset
- 12:13 PM
- In sign
- ♓︎ Pisces
Warm winds drive dryness inland
Costa Mesa at a glance
- Today vs. normal: 14°F below the seasonal normal for this latitude
- Last frost: March 9 (climatological average for this latitude)
- Microseason: Jul 6–10
- Planting window: Sow fall broccoli and cabbage indoors for transplant in 4 weeks.
ZIP codes: 92626, 92627
16-Day Forecast — Costa Mesa
- Mon77°61°0%
- Tue78°59°0%
- Wed85°68°0%
- Thu83°69°0%
- Fri78°68°0%
- Sat78°68°0%
- Sun79°67°4%
- Mon81°69°7%
- Tue84°70°5%
- Wed91°72°2%
- Thu96°79°1%
- Fri96°79°6%
- Sat91°75°6%
- Sun85°73°5%
- Mon85°73°3%
- Tue84°72°3%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Live wind & temperature near Costa Mesa
Right now in the garden
Peak growing season
As of July 6, the growing season is at its peak — frost is months away. Continue succession-planting beans and summer squash. Start fall brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, kale) from seed indoors for transplanting in late summer.
Microseason · July 6–10
Warm winds drive dryness inland
Offshore heating creates persistent southeasterly winds; fog-free mornings are rare; inland valleys exceed 100°F.
Day 187 of 365 · Wedge 38 of 72
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| January | — | — |
| February | — | — |
| March | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | — |
| April | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes, tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | — |
| May | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, radishes |
| June | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, radishes |
| July | — | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| August | — | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| September | — | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| October | fall brassicas, garlic (overwinter), carrots | winter squash, tomatoes (last) |
| November | fall brassicas, garlic (overwinter), carrots | — |
| December | — | — |
A year in weather
August is Costa Mesa's warmest stretch (~73°F) and January its coldest (~54°F); precipitation crests in February at 2.5 inches and ebbs in August to 0.0 inches.
| Month | Mean temp | Precip | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 54° | 2.3″ | 9 |
| February | 56° | 2.5″ | 8 |
| March | 58° | 2.0″ | 9 |
| April | 61° | 0.9″ | 7 |
| May | 64° | 0.3″ | 4 |
| June | 68° | 0.0″ | 2 |
| July | 72° | 0.1″ | 1 |
| August | 73° | 0.0″ | 0 |
| September | 72° | 0.0″ | 2 |
| October | 68° | 0.3″ | 3 |
| November | 60° | 1.1″ | 6 |
| December | 54° | 1.8″ | 7 |
Regional context
Per NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals, Costa Mesa runs from a 54°F January mean to 72°F in July, a 18°F seasonal spread, with near 11.3 inches of precipitation across about 57 wet days.
Cool-season fronts carry Costa Mesa's rain: February logs 2.5 inches on 7.6 days, against August's 0.0 inches on 0.2 — winter does the heavy lifting in Costa Mesa. That cool-season-wet pattern aligns Costa Mesa with places like Fountain Valley, CA, Newport Beach, CA and Santa Ana, CA.
Hard freezes are rare in Costa Mesa: the coldest month averages 54°F, so Costa Mesa's growing window runs most of the year. August is the hottest stretch near 73°F, pushing cool-season crops to the milder shoulder months. Within Costa Mesa, low or inland lots lose 3-5°F overnight versus Costa Mesa's coastal ground.
Similar climates: Fountain Valley, CA, Newport Beach, CA, Santa Ana, CA, Huntington Beach, CA, Midway City, CA.
Naturalist notes
By late May in coastal Southern California, western scrub jays are gathering nesting material and carrying it into live oaks and ornamental pines at the latitude of Costa Mesa.
Late spring sunsets near 33.7°N extend twilight past 8 PM, and Venus often sits bright and unmistakable in the western sky well before full dark arrives.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Costa Mesa?
- Costa Mesa's last spring frost lands near mid-March, and in Costa Mesa the first fall frost follows around mid-December.
- What is the rainy season in Costa Mesa?
- February is the wettest month in Costa Mesa, about 2.5 inches on average; the year totals roughly 11 inches.
- What is the warmest month in Costa Mesa?
- The warmest stretch in Costa Mesa comes in August, around 73°F on average.
- What is the coldest month in Costa Mesa?
- On average January is the chilliest month in Costa Mesa, about 54°F.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Costa Mesa?
- Frost-hardy sowings begin at mid-March in Costa Mesa; warm-season starts follow two weeks on.
- How many rainy days does Costa Mesa get?
- Expect roughly 57 wet days a year in Costa Mesa.
- What hardiness zone is Costa Mesa?
- Costa Mesa's hardiness zone tracks its winter low; with January near 54°F, check the USDA ZIP map for the exact zone.
- What is the 10-day forecast for Costa Mesa?
- Costa Mesa's extended outlook — daily high and low temperatures and precipitation chances for each upcoming day — is in the daily forecast above.
- Will it rain this week in Costa Mesa?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for Costa Mesa in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in Costa Mesa?
- Current conditions for Costa Mesa and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the Costa Mesa forecast updated?
- The Costa Mesa forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in Costa Mesa?
- Today's sunrise and sunset times for Costa Mesa are in the Almanac section above, along with civil dawn, civil dusk, and day length. Day length is longest near the summer solstice and shortest near the winter solstice.
- How accurate is the weather forecast for Costa Mesa?
- The next few days in Costa Mesa's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
Climate
Costa Mesa, California has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate: January averages roughly 54°F, July about 72°F, 18°F between them.
Across the year, Costa Mesa collects about 11 inches of precipitation over roughly 57 days with measurable rain or snow.
At 33.7°N, Costa Mesa's 18°F summer-to-winter swing sets when Costa Mesa's gardens wake and when frost returns.
ZIP codes in Costa Mesa
- 92626
- 92627
- 92628