Has it rained enough in San Diego?
Rain soaked properly in 9 days ago, and the ground is still holding some of it.
San Diego has had 16.2mm of rain in the last 30 days. That is well above the 3.8mm a normal August brings here, and closer to the wettest on record (40.8mm).
Rain reaching the roots · 14 days
2 SeptToday
Rain in San Diego through a normal year
Across a normal year San Diego gets about 300mm of rain, most of it in February (64.5mm) and least in June (1.7mm).
That makes San Diego one of the drier places this site covers in the United States in August — 28th of 30, against Tampa at the wet end (191.8mm) and Sacramento at the dry end (1.8mm).
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Average rainfall by month, 1995–2024
What that means for what you grow
- Pots and hanging basketsWorst hit, and first to suffer. Very little soil, fully exposed, and nothing to fall back on — in this weather they can empty in a day.
- Salad and leafy vegShallow-rooted and quick to bolt once they run dry. First priority of anything in the ground.
- Beds and bordersA long soak that reaches the roots is worth more than a daily sprinkle, which only wets the surface and is gone by lunchtime.
- Established shrubs and treesFine as they are. They draw from far deeper than a dry spell reaches.
Your own garden, not the town average
This page is worked out for San Diego as a whole. Your garden has its own soil, its own shade and its own planting, and the front page will use your exact location instead.
Check my garden