What Are the Warmest Cities in California?

What Are the Warmest Cities in California?

In this article I’m going to share with you my ranking of the warmest places in California.

I created my list by researching data provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other climate data providers.

Below I’m listing the top 10 warmest places in California that have the highest average yearly temperatures. Later in the article I share a table with 150 most populous cities in California.

Top 10 Warmest Cities in California

Warmest California Cities

Here are the top 10 warmest places in California ranked by their daily mean temperature. Note that this ranking covers the biggest cities in California. The small village of Furnace Creek holds the record for the hottest temperature ever registered in the world but it’s not a major city. The cities in this ranking and the table have at least 40,000 residents.

For the top five cities I also give average winter and summer temperatures.

1. Indio – daily mean temperature of 75.95 °F

The warmest place in California is the city of Indio and Palm Desert. Because they’re right by each other, they share the same hot desert climate with some of the highest temperatures in California (only the region of Death Valley National Park is much hotter). Indio reaches 106 °F during the day in the summer months, with temperatures dropping to 82 °F at night. Winter, even though much cooler, still provides warm days with temperatures of about 70 °F during the day and crisp 45-47 °F at night. Rain is extremely rare, with most rainfall in the winter.

Due to its climate, Indio is more similar to Las Vegas in terms of extreme weather than to a stereotypical mild/warm Californian city on the coast like San Diego.

Winter temperatures: highs of 69-73 °F, lows of 45-51 °F

Summer temperatures: highs of 102-106 °F, lows of 77-83 °F

2. Palm Desert – daily mean temperature of 75.95 °F

Palm Desert and Indio share the same climate. If dry and hot weather is your idea of great weather, then any of these two cities (as well as the neighboring area) will work for you. Just keep in mind that the hottest month (July) comes with really high temperatures that are much more extreme than on the California coast in places like Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Laguna Beach, or San Diego, let alone in Northern California in mild Mediterranean climates like that of San Francisco or Bay Area in general.

Winter temperatures: highs of 69-73 °F, lows of 45-51 °F

Summer temperatures: highs of 102-106 °F, lows of 77-83 °F

3. Palm Springs – daily mean temperature of 75.6 °F

The third warmest city in the Golden State is Palm Springs, located 15 miles northwest of Palm Desert. Palm Springs gets even hotter summer days than Indio and Palm Desert (the average temperature is up to 3 degrees Fahrenheit higher) but it has cooler nights (by up to 3 degrees as well). Since all three places don’t offer comfortable summer days, Palm Springs has a slightly friendlier climate allowing to cool off a little more when the sun disappears behind the horizon.

Winter temperatures: highs of 69-74 °F, lows of 46-50 °F

Summer temperatures: highs of 104-109 °F, lows of 73-80 °F

4. Cathedral City – daily mean temperature of 74.6 °F

Climate data shows that Cathedral City is a degree cooler than Palm Springs despite being located just a few miles away from Palm Springs. The average hottest day in Cathedral City has a temperature two degrees higher than in Indio and Palm Desert. Like Palm Springs, it has slightly cooler weather at night.

Winter temperatures: highs of 69-74 °F, lows of 44-48 °F

Summer temperatures: highs of 103-108 °F, lows of 72-78 °F

5. El Centro – daily mean temperature of 74.25 °F

El Centro is located at a very low elevation of 42 feet below sea level, in Southern California, close to the border with Mexico. It has cooler by about 3 degrees nights than the first four cities in this ranking. Other than that, it features the same warm winter temperatures and extremely hot summer temperatures.

Winter temperatures: highs of 70-74 °F, lows of 43-47 °F

Summer temperatures: highs of 103-107 °F, lows of 71-79 °F

6. Buena Park – daily mean temperature of 68 °F

Buena Park, a city of 84,000 people located within the Los Angeles metropolitan area, is the first place on this list that’s situated close to the ocean and beaches. Along with Anaheim a few miles farther south and Fontana, Whittier, and Montebello, they’re the warmest cities in the Los Angeles region. Buena Park features a climate that’s pleasant most of the year, perhaps except for the July to September period with average high temperatures reaching 89-91 °F. They’re still much more comfortable than in the desert cities, though.

7. Anaheim – daily mean temperature of 67.65 °F

Anaheim has similar weather to Buena Park, only its summer days are cooler by two degrees. Summers are almost devoid of rain, guaranteeing enjoyable beach days. Winters are mild, with cool nights that on average drop to 48-49 °F so bordering on relatively cold weather at night. Because of the moderating effect of the ocean, the temperatures still don’t drop as low as temperatures in the desert cities.

8. Fontana – daily mean temperature of 67.4 °F

Fontana is located in San Bernardino County, with mountains to the north and east of the city. This includes Mount San Antonio, the highest peak in Los Angeles County. Unlike the previous cities in the Los Angeles area, Fontana gets much hotter summers with daytime temperatures going to 95-96 °F. Winters are mild but slightly cooler than in Buena Park or Anaheim.

9. Whittier – daily mean temperature of 67.4 °F

Whittier shares its climate with Buena Park. Both places get higher summer temperatures than Anaheim which features the least extreme climate out of the ten cities covered in this ranking.

10. Montebello – daily mean temperature of 67.4 °F

Montebello is the tenth warmest city in the Golden State. Or actually, it ties with the previous two cities and the only reason why it’s tenth it’s because it’s the smallest city out of these three. Montebello shares its climate with Whittier.

Video Summary of the Warmest California Cities

150 Biggest Cities in California Ranked by Daily Mean Temperature

Los Angeles is not the warmest city in California

I created the table below by researching data for the most populous municipalities in California. When I couldn’t find data for a given city, I moved on to another. While the list includes 150 cities, some of the bigger cities may be missing because there was no data for them. Please check the closest geographically city then.

CityAverage high temperature (°F)Average low temperature (°F)Daily mean temperature (°F)
Indio87.864.175.95
Palm Desert87.864.175.95
Palm Springs88.962.375.6
Cathedral City88.460.874.6
El Centro88.759.874.25
Buena Park795768
Anaheim78.856.567.65
Fontana8153.867.4
Whittier7955.867.4
Montebello7955.867.4
Tustin785667
Yorba Linda785667
Ontario79.554.166.8
San Bernardino81.151.966.5
Hemet79.553.166.3
Riverside79.55366.25
Bakersfield78.254.266.2
Fullerton76.45666.2
Santa Ana75.756.566.1
Jurupa Valley805266
Lake Elsinore80.251.866
Brea775566
Pasadena78.653.365.95
Los Angeles74.856.865.8
Escondido77.354.365.8
Moreno Valley805165.5
Glendale775465.5
El Monte765565.5
Baldwin Park795265.5
Eastvale805165.5
Covina765565.5
Rancho Cucamonga78.452.565.45
Westminster7654.865.4
Long Beach74.555.965.2
El Cajon77.35365.15
Diamond Bar78.35265.15
Fresno76.353.765
Corona795165
Pomona78.151.965
Chino785265
Upland785265
San Jacinto79.150.965
Glendora785265
Costa Mesa72.657.264.9
San Diego70.958.564.7
Compton745564.5
Hawthorne725764.5
Burbank76.852.164.45
Delano77.251.464.3
Orange765264
Simi Valley814764
Temecula785064
Turlock74.353.764
La Mesa74.85363.9
Murrieta77.45063.7
Redlands78.149.363.7
Modesto7651.363.65
Porterville78.748.463.55
Yucaipa784963.5
Los Banos75.651.363.45
Redding76.650.263.4
Chula Vista70.955.763.3
Visalia7551.663.3
Stockton76.749.463.05
Irvine75.550.563
Torrance71.954.163
Encinitas725463
Vista72.153.562.8
Inglewood70.155.462.75
Newport Beach68.257.362.75
Palmdale77.248.162.65
Santa Barbara71.953.262.55
Elk Grove755062.5
Carlsbad69.255.862.5
Vacaville764962.5
Hesperia794662.5
Mission Viejo735262.5
Redondo Beach70.654.462.5
Woodland764962.5
Poway735262.5
Tracy74.949.962.4
Merced76.448.262.3
Hanford76.148.262.15
Lancaster77.147.162.1
Madera76.747.562.1
Huntington Beach685662
Roseville745062
Folsom745062
Perris78.745.362
San Clemente715362
Lincoln745062
Victorville76.747.161.9
Sacramento74.748.961.8
Concord73.350.361.8
Beaumont76.646.961.75
Fairfield73.849.661.7
Chico75.847.461.6
Davis75.24861.6
Highland73.949.261.55
Brentwood735061.5
West Sacramento744961.5
San Jose71.551.461.45
Santa Monica66.356.661.45
Thousand Oaks77.944.961.4
Oxnard69.253.561.35
Lodi74.847.861.3
Ventura71.350.861.05
Milpitas725061
Oceanside71.250.760.95
Santa Clarita77.64460.8
Pittsburg7348.660.8
Antioch73.34860.65
Yuba City734860.5
Livermore73.147.760.4
Camarillo70.650.260.4
Alameda67.453.360.35
Gilroy74.346.160.2
Rocklin74.745.460.05
Union City695160
Mountain View69.350.659.95
Walnut Creek71.947.959.9
Sunnyvale70.848.959.85
Oakland67.651.659.6
Fremont69.249.959.55
Pleasanton734659.5
San Rafael704959.5
Cupertino695059.5
Campbell724759.5
Redwood City70.448.359.35
Lompoc69.449.259.3
San Luis Obispo694959
Santa Rosa72.445.558.95
Hayward6750.758.85
Richmond67.150.658.85
Newark68.249.558.85
South San Francisco66.950.658.75
Santa Cruz69.747.658.65
Santa Clara714658.5
Santa Maria69.647.458.5
San Mateo694858.5
Berkeley68.248.758.45
Vallejo70.945.958.4
Palo Alto69.446.758.05
Petaluma70.445.758.05
San Ramon684858
Salinas68.547.157.8
Napa69.945.657.75
San Francisco64.151.357.7
San Bruno65.149.657.35
Watsonville67.545.156.3

Check the Warmest Cities in Neighboring States

If you’re interested in learning about the warmest cities in states neighboring California, check out the following articles:

Also check my article on the warmest cities in the US in every state and learn why California is one of the states with the best weather.

Further Reading

I wrote other articles about California or related to it. Here they are:

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