San Francisco · United States
February
Quietest streets, best prices, Lunar New Year if dates align — worth the grey skies.
Strong option
#7 of 12 months
There are better months for San Francisco — see the full ranking below.
See when to go instead →Climate
High
14°C
Low
8.2°C
Rain
98mm
Sun
5.5hrs/day
30-year climate normals · Open Meteo ERA5
How February scores in San Francisco
Weather
Average
Value
Excellent
Crowds
Outstanding
Events
Above average
Atmosphere
Good
What you gain in February
- ↑February is often the month Lunar New Year falls, and San Francisco's Chinatown celebration is one of the largest outside Asia — the parade draws 100,000+ spectators along a route through downtown, with dragon dances, firecrackers, and floats. The surrounding community events (temple ceremonies, family dinners, market days) give the neighbourhood a festive atmosphere for the entire month.
- ↑Rainfall begins to ease compared to January, and clear days — particularly later in February — can be genuinely beautiful. The Marin Headlands are vivid green after winter rains, and the low-angled winter light at sunset produces some of the most dramatic Golden Gate photography of any month.
- ↑Hotel and Airbnb prices remain at their annual low. Business travel (which inflates midweek rates significantly in tech-heavy San Francisco) is also below its peak, so the typical midweek premium is smaller in February than any other month.
What you sacrifice
- ↓Nearly 100mm of rain across the month means February is still a wet proposition, with storms arriving on Pacific fronts that can deliver 25–30mm in a single day. The hills of the Castro, Noe Valley, and Haight-Ashbury can be genuinely slippery underfoot in wet conditions.
- ↓February daylight is short — sunset occurs around 17:45 — which compresses the window for outdoor activities and golden-hour photography. The lack of daylight affects the mood of the city in a way that's more pronounced than in most US cities.
How February compares to October (best month)
| Factor | February | October ★ |
|---|---|---|
| Weather | 4 | 9 |
| Value | 8 | 6 |
| Crowds | 9 | 6 |
February in other destinations
Lisbon (14.3°C)Barcelona (14°C)Tokyo (10.4°C)Bali (30.1°C)Santorini (13.2°C)Paris (8°C)New York (4.5°C)Marrakech (19.1°C)Amsterdam (6°C)Maldives (30.2°C)Rome (11.9°C)Bangkok (33°C)Istanbul (8.6°C)Vienna (4.9°C)Seoul (4°C)Dubrovnik (11.1°C)Rio de Janeiro (31°C)Kyoto (10.1°C)Phuket (32.1°C)Cape Town (26.9°C)Prague (4°C)Amalfi Coast (13°C)Mexico City (23°C)Medellín (29°C)Fiji (31°C)London (9°C)Sydney (26°C)Iceland (3°C)Tulum (29°C)Dubai (26°C)Singapore (31°C)Hoi An (26°C)Chiang Mai (31.5°C)Miami (24.8°C)Florence (11.4°C)Queenstown (22.2°C)Madrid (11.2°C)Porto (15°C)Edinburgh (7°C)Copenhagen (4°C)Budapest (6°C)Kraków (4°C)Tbilisi (8°C)Palawan (30°C)Hanoi (19°C)Osaka (10°C)Goa (33°C)Cusco (19°C)Buenos Aires (29°C)Mykonos (13°C)Zanzibar (32°C)Sri Lanka (31°C)Costa Rica (26°C)Cancun (29°C)Krabi (33°C)Athens (14°C)Seville (17°C)Cartagena (31°C)Siem Reap (31°C)Havana (27°C)Split (11°C)Taipei (19°C)Kuala Lumpur (33°C)Valletta (15°C)Ho Chi Minh City (34°C)Hawaii (27°C)Cappadocia (6°C)Dominican Republic (28°C)Jamaica (30°C)Tanzania (29°C)Seychelles (30°C)Nepal (20°C)Jordan (13°C)Azores (17°C)Bora Bora (30°C)Los Angeles (20.3°C)Cairo (21.2°C)Kenya (28°C)Jaipur (25.1°C)Las Vegas (17.2°C)Madeira (19.8°C)Vancouver (8.4°C)Muscat (27.8°C)Lima (27°C)Cinque Terre (12°C)Kotor (11°C)Tel Aviv (18°C)Santiago (29°C)Bogotá (19°C)Bruges (6.5°C)Penang (32.2°C)Lombok (30.9°C)Cape Verde (25.8°C)Fez (15.8°C)Kerala (32°C)Kigali (26°C)Hong Kong (18°C)Oslo (0°C)Auckland (24°C)
Climate data: 30-year normals (1991–2020) from Open Meteo ERA5 reanalysis. Scores compare months within San Francisco, not across destinations. Methodology →