ERA5 almanac comparison — 8 years of real data
Santa Barbara vs Santa Fe: weather in October
Santa Barbara is the clear winner for sun in October: 81% of days historically clear versus just 14% in Santa Fe — a 67-point gap across 8 years of ERA5 data. This isn't close.
What you are reading: 8-year historical averages, not a forecast.
Either destination can still surprise you this specific October. For this
week’s actual forecast, each destination links to its live page below.
Santa Barbara
CA
- Clear days, October
- 81%
- Sample size
- n=248 days
- Avg high
- 80°F
- Early October (1st–15th)
- 82%
- Late October (16th–end)
- 81%
- Rain frequency
- 5% of days
Santa Fe
NM
- Clear days, October
- 14%
- Sample size
- n=248 days
- Avg high
- 63°F
- Early October (1st–15th)
- 22%
- Late October (16th–end)
- 6%
- Rain frequency
- 19% of days
Compare Santa Barbara vs Santa Fe in another month
All percentages are historical averages from the ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 8 full years (2018–2025). “Clear” means avg high ≥ 72 °F, precipitation < 1 mm, and a non-precipitation weather code. This is history, not a forecast. The live 7-day outlook for any destination is on its own page and may differ from the long-run average. Data from Open-Meteo.