Isla Vista, California Weather
Summer heat deepens across the valleys. Day 15 of summer. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Isla Vista weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
- TodayJul 5Overcast——71°60°—
- MondayJul 6Clear——74°59°+3°
- TuesdayJul 7Clear——100°61°+26°
- WednesdayJul 8Clear——102°67°+2°
- ThursdayJul 9Clear——96°69°-6°
- FridayJul 10Clear——90°65°-6°
- SaturdayJul 11Overcast——88°65°-2°
AQI 38 (Good), driven by PM2.5. AQI flat over the last 6 hours (within ±3 points). PM2.5 at 8.8 µg/m³, PM10 at 12.1 µg/m³ — typical background levels with no transport signature.
OK No precautions needed for the general population; unusually sensitive individuals may consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.
What's driving it
Ozone × UV × Sky
Ozone at AQI 31 now. With UV 8.8 peaking around 1 PM under clear skies, surface ozone likely climbs to AQI 36 around 1 PM.
- Present
- AQI 31
- UV peak
- 8.8 at 1 PM
- Sky at peak
- clear
- Projected peak
- AQI 36
PM × Wind × Precip
PM2.5 at 8.8 µg/m³, PM10 at 12.1 µg/m³ — typical background levels with no transport signature.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 0.73
- Wind
- light
- Recent rain
- 0h in last 6h
- Pattern
- background
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).








































If the first of July be rainy weather, 'twill rain more or less for four weeks together.
- Moonrise
- 11:16 PM
- Moonset
- 11:18 AM
- In sign
- ♓︎ Pisces
Summer heat deepens across the valleys
Isla Vista at a glance
- Today vs. normal: 9°F below the seasonal normal for this latitude
- Last frost: March 13 (climatological average for this latitude)
- Microseason: Jul 1–5
- Planting window: Harvest early potatoes. Begin drying onions on the surface.
16-Day Forecast — Isla Vista
- Sun73°60°7%
- Mon74°59°0%
- Tue100°61°0%
- Wed102°67°0%
- Thu96°69°1%
- Fri90°65°4%
- Sat88°65°5%
- Sun93°66°2%
- Mon95°67°8%
- Tue91°68°3%
- Wed99°74°2%
- Thu99°75°0%
- Fri107°83°0%
- Sat117°84°6%
- Sun92°73°6%
- Mon99°72°6%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Right now in the garden
Peak growing season
As of July 5, 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 1–5
Summer heat deepens across the valleys
Inland temperatures exceed 95°F regularly; fire danger reaches moderate to high across most of the region.
Day 186 of 365 · Wedge 37 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
The year in Isla Vista tops out in August (~75°F) and dips lowest in December (~56°F), with February wettest at 3.2 inches and August driest at 0.0 inches.
| Month | Mean temp | Precip | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 56° | 3.1″ | 9 |
| February | 57° | 3.2″ | 9 |
| March | 58° | 2.8″ | 9 |
| April | 61° | 1.2″ | 6 |
| May | 66° | 0.4″ | 3 |
| June | 70° | 0.0″ | 1 |
| July | 75° | 0.0″ | 1 |
| August | 75° | 0.0″ | 1 |
| September | 73° | 0.0″ | 1 |
| October | 69° | 0.4″ | 2 |
| November | 61° | 1.4″ | 5 |
| December | 56° | 2.3″ | 8 |
Regional context
In Isla Vista, NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals put January near 56°F and July near 75°F — a 18°F seasonal arc — with about 14.9 inches of precipitation over 54 rainy or snowy days.
Precipitation in Isla Vista peaks in the cool season: February averages 3.2 inches across 8.6 storm-fed days, while August bottoms out at 0.0 inches over just 0.5 rainy days. That groups Isla Vista with places like University of California-Santa Barbara, CA, Goleta, CA and Eastern Goleta Valley, CA on the same cool-season storm track.
Hard freezes are rare in Isla Vista: the coldest month averages 56°F, so Isla Vista's growing window runs most of the year. August is the hottest stretch near 75°F, pushing cool-season crops to the milder shoulder months. Across Isla Vista, elevation and tree cover drive a 4-7°F spread in Isla Vista's overnight lows.
Similar climates: University of California-Santa Barbara, CA, Goleta, CA, Eastern Goleta Valley, CA, Santa Barbara, CA, Mission Canyon, CA.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Isla Vista?
- Isla Vista's last spring frost lands near mid-March, and in Isla Vista the first fall frost follows around mid-December.
- What is the rainy season in Isla Vista?
- Isla Vista sees its heaviest rain in February (around 3.2 inches), part of roughly 15 inches a year.
- What is the warmest month in Isla Vista?
- The warmest stretch in Isla Vista comes in August, around 75°F on average.
- What is the coldest month in Isla Vista?
- On average December is the chilliest month in Isla Vista, about 56°F.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Isla Vista?
- Isla Vista's last frost (mid-March) cues hardy greens; in Isla Vista, hold heat-lovers two weeks past.
- How many rainy days does Isla Vista get?
- Isla Vista averages about 54 days with measurable rain or snow each year.
- What hardiness zone is Isla Vista?
- Isla Vista sits in the USDA zone set by December lows near 56°F; the USDA ZIP tool gives the band.
- What is the 10-day forecast for Isla Vista?
- Isla Vista'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 Isla Vista?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for Isla Vista in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in Isla Vista?
- Current conditions for Isla Vista and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the Isla Vista forecast updated?
- The Isla Vista forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in Isla Vista?
- Today's sunrise and sunset times for Isla Vista 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 Isla Vista?
- The next few days in Isla Vista's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
Climate
Isla Vista's hot-summer Mediterranean climate in California pairs 56°F Januarys with 75°F Julys, 19°F apart across the seasons.
Isla Vista sees close to 15 inches of precipitation annually, falling across some 54 wet days.
The 19°F gap between Isla Vista's summer and winter, at 34.4°N, shapes Isla Vista's frost calendar.
ZIP codes in Isla Vista
- 93117