Santa Cruz, Calif.—If you're looking for a place that combines pleasant temperatures with the seasonal rainfalls, summer sunshine, and the greenest, towering redwood forests that stand in contrast to the blue Pacific Ocean, you might want to visit Santa Cruz, located in Northern California not far from San Francisco and San Jose.

The beach playground for college students and tourists looking for paradise, features year-round average temperatures rarely topping 76 degrees on the warmest of summer days, and seldom dipping below 40 degrees at night, any time of year.

Like most of California, there can be record setting heat waves that will top the charts. Santa Cruz set record when the temperature reach 107 degrees in September 1971.

The weather in Santa Cruz is mellow thanks to Pacific Ocean breezes that blow onshore and provide the cooling influence in the summer, and warming in the winter months.

The rainiest month on average is January, and you can expect approx. 6.49 inches of rainfall during that month. However, to see snow would be a rare occurrence. Your best bet is to take a rain coat or check the weather before you go.

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