San Francisco has a mild, temperate climate and there is very little temperature variation between the summer and winter months. The highest temperature ever recorded for San Francisco was 103 degrees F in July 1988. The lowest temperature recorded between 1971 and 2000 was 28 degrees F in December 1990.
There are only two true seasons in San Francisco - the dry season and the rainy season. The California Travel and Tourist Commission states that the "climate is often compared to that of the Mediterranean, due to warm, dry summers and mild winters". Traditionally, average daily temperatures can be higher during the months of September and October than than for peak summer months.
According to the National Climatic Data Center, the average temperatures for the May to October dry seasons, 1971 to 2000, ranged from September highs of 71 degrees F to May lows of 65 degrees F.
The National Climatic Data Center shows average daily temperatures for the rainy seasons, for the years 1971 to 2000, ranged from November and April highs of 64 degrees F to December and January low temperatures of 46 degrees F.
