Despite the prevalence of fog, Half Moon Bay enjoys a wide variety of climates. In the fall and winter months, you can expect clearer skies and milder temperatures. Spring tends to bring a mix of sun and clouds, with occasional rainy days. The coast of Half Moon Bay is blessed with a temperate climate all year round.
While winter can be rainy, cloudy and windy, the temperature rarely drops below 40°F. The weather can also change rapidly, going from misty in the morning to sunny in the afternoon, making it easy to take advantage of even the briefest dry moments to explore and go for a hike or explore the tide pools on the beach. Staying for a few days means that the weather is more likely to be at least good. And if there's a storm, settle in a room with an ocean view to enjoy the spectacle of Mother Nature.
The cloudiest month of the year in Half Moon Bay is January, during which, on average, the sky is overcast or cloudy 53% of the time. Our cloud cover score is 10 for completely clear skies, falling linearly to 9 for mostly clear skies and to 1 for completely cloudy skies. All other weather data, such as cloud cover, precipitation, wind speed and direction, and solar flow, come from NASA's modern-era retrospective analysis of MERRA-2.This new analysis combines a variety of wide-area measurements into a state-of-the-art global weather model to reconstruct the hourly history of climate around the world on a 50-kilometer grid. The clearest day of the month is May 31, with clear, mostly clear or partly cloudy conditions 70% of the time.
For reference, on January 12, the cloudiest day of the year, the chance of cloudy or cloudy conditions is 54%, while on August 8, the clearest day of the year, the chance of clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy skies is 91%. According to this score, the best time of year to visit Half Moon Bay for general outdoor tourist activities is from early July to late September, with a maximum score in the third week of August. The topography within 2 miles of Half Moon Bay contains very significant variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 873 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 177 feet. For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Half Moon Bay are 37,464 degrees of latitude, -122,429 degrees of longitude and 69 feet of elevation.
Located on the western slope of the Santa Cruz Mountains, overlooking Half Moon Bay, head out into the open space and you'll wander among redwoods, streams, and lush ferns. The average surface water temperature in Half Moon Bay is essentially constant during the month of May, and remains around 54 °F at all times. The hottest month of the year in Half Moon Bay is August, with an average high of 66°F and a low of 55°F. In Half Moon Bay, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The area within 2 miles of Half Moon Bay is covered by artificial surfaces (23%), water (22%), grassland (15%) and grassy vegetation (13%), within 10 miles by water (40%) and trees (24%), and within 50 miles by water (55%) and grassland (13%). The coastline encompasses the cities of Half Moon Bay, Miramar, Montara, Moss Beach, El Granada, San Gregorio, La Honda and Pescadero. The month with the least humid days in Half Moon Bay is July, with an average of 0.1 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation. The estimated value at Half Moon Bay is calculated as a weighted average of the individual contributions from each station, with weights proportional to the inverse of the distance between Half Moon Bay and a given station.
Temperatures in Half Moon Bay are warm enough throughout the year that it is not entirely significant to talk about the growing season in these terms. Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival, Half Moon Bay Wine & Jazz Festival, Pacific Coast Dream Machine, 4th of July Fashion Show, Make It Main Street, Nights of Lights and live music.
