Comfortable, dry August days in places that do not feel hotter than 26°C. 365 towns and cities that draw visitors in North America were scored in August, and 121 rate Good or better. The 15 below lead, spread across the region.
The shortlist
- 186 · IdealSeattleWashington, United States
A typical midday in August feels like 21°C, and the Easy outdoors rating averages 86 over the stretch. Good weather here runs from late June to September, so there is room either side. Rain is rare at this time of year. See mid August on the map.
- 285 · IdealAstoriaOregon, United States
Rated 85 (Ideal) for easy outdoors in August: midday feels like 20°C, with partly cloudy skies. The good spell lasts about three and a half months, from late June to September. Open it on the map at mid August.
- 384 · IdealSteamboat SpringsColorado, United States
Midday in August feels like 21°C under mostly clear skies, which rates 84, Ideal, for easy outdoors. Good weather here runs from June to mid September, so there is room either side. See mid August on the map.
- 484 · IdealOxnardCalifornia, United States
A typical midday in August feels like 24°C, and the Easy outdoors rating averages 84 over the stretch. The good spell lasts about eight and a half months, from April to early December. Rain is rare at this time of year. Open it on the map at mid August.
- 581 · IdealSummersideCanada
Midday in August feels like 21°C under often cloudy skies, which rates 81, Ideal, for easy outdoors. Good weather here runs from mid June to early September, so there is room either side. See mid August on the map.
- 681 · IdealSecheltCanada
A typical midday in August feels like 21°C, and the Easy outdoors rating averages 81 over the stretch. The good spell lasts about three months, from late June to mid September. Open it on the map at mid August.
- 781 · IdealJacksonWyoming, United States
Rated 81 (Ideal) for easy outdoors in August: midday feels like 20°C, with mostly clear skies. Good weather here runs from late June to early September, so there is room either side. See mid August on the map.
- 881 · IdealSanta FeNew Mexico, United States
Midday in August feels like 24°C under mostly clear skies, which rates 81, Ideal, for easy outdoors. The good spell lasts about four and a half months, from late May to early October. Open it on the map at mid August.
- 980 · GoodSaugeen ShoresCanada
Rated 80 (Good) for easy outdoors in August: midday feels like 22°C, with partly cloudy skies. Good weather here runs from mid June to mid September, so there is room either side. See mid August on the map.
- 1079 · GoodKenoraCanada
Midday in August feels like 21°C under partly cloudy skies, which rates 79, Good, for easy outdoors. The good spell lasts about three and a half months, from June to early September. Open it on the map at mid August.
- 1178 · GoodSan JoseCalifornia, United States
A typical midday in August feels like 22°C, and the Easy outdoors rating averages 78 over the stretch. The good spell lasts about six and a half months, from late April to early November. Rain is rare at this time of year. Open it on the map at mid August.
- 1276 · GoodSault Ste. MarieCanada
Midday in August feels like 21°C under often cloudy skies, which rates 76, Good, for easy outdoors. Good weather here runs from mid June to mid September, so there is room either side. See mid August on the map.
- 1376 · GoodHuntsvilleCanada
Rated 76 (Good) for easy outdoors in August: midday feels like 23°C, with partly cloudy skies. The good spell lasts about four months, from late May to mid September. Open it on the map at mid August.
- 1473 · GoodCodyWyoming, United States
A typical midday in August feels like 21°C, and the Easy outdoors rating averages 73 over the stretch. Good weather here runs from June to mid September, so there is room either side. See mid August on the map.
- 1571 · GoodSan Luis ObispoCalifornia, United States
Midday in August feels like 22°C under almost cloudless skies, which rates 71, Good, for easy outdoors. The good spell lasts about six months, from June to November. Rain is rare at this time of year. Open it on the map at mid August.
Places with a guide of their own
Ranked the same way, but only among the places that have a guide of their own:
How this list is worked out
The data
Every figure comes from a decade of weather-station observations, blended into one typical year and read at midday, local solar time. Scores here are averaged in August; a city missing a reading for any part of that stretch is left out rather than scored on part of it.
The rating
Easy outdoors: A comfortable feels-like gates the score — best 16–26 °C for an easy day out (strolling, sitting out, sightseeing). Dryness matters most; strong wind knocks it back. Sun is a bonus, not required. A place is also left out when its typical readings contradict its own rating, for example a high score alongside frequent rain.
The spread
To keep one warm corner from filling the list, entries are at least 150 km apart, no more than three sit within 1,000 km of each other, and no more than three come from one country unless the list would otherwise run short.
Only places that draw visitors
Towns and cities with plenty of hotels, guest houses and holiday lets nearby for their size, or a great many of them in all, counted from Overture Maps Places, an open dataset. That keeps out places the weather favours but nobody travels to. Where two places share one resort or city, the one a visitor would name is kept.
The dotted links open the map at that place and time of year, on the same layer. The map remembers the time of day you last chose there; set it to midday to see these exact numbers.