What to Wear in San Diego in November
San Diego in November: 22°C / 72°F afternoons, 13°C / 55°F nights, about 4 rain days, and a sunset near a quarter to five once the clocks go back.
- Camel Harrington jacket — 13°C / 55°F by evening, and evening starts before five after 1 November
- Navy-and-ecru Breton knit — the Veterans Day parade on Harbor Drive starts at 10am on the 11th
- Cognac linen midi dress — 22°C / 72°F afternoons in air that runs 10 to 20 percent drier than average
- Light-wash wide-leg jeans — Old Town on 1 and 2 November is two days on foot
- Slim woven tan belt — a waist-length jacket ends exactly where it sits
- Amber-lens sunglasses — November is the sunniest month in the NWS memo's table
- A raincoat — 0.79 inches on about 4 days, and only about 2 clear a tenth of an inch
- A wool coat — you carry it from eleven on a 22°C / 72°F day
- October's evening plan — the clocks go back on 1 November and sunset moves an hour earlier
- Stilettos for the Old Town procession — it walks to El Campo Santo after dark
Pack for a bright day that ends early. NOAA's figures for San Diego International Airport give November a 22°C / 72°F afternoon and a 12.7°C / 55°F night, with 0.79 inches of rain on about 4 days. On paper this opens the wet season: NWS San Diego's climate memo says "Eighty-five percent of the rainfall occurs from November through March". November's part of that is small. The same memo's 1961–90 table gives it 75% of possible sunshine, the highest of any month, with the prevailing wind swung to the northeast and humidity running 10 to 20 percent below average. Then the clocks go back on 1 November, and by mid-month the sun sets at about 4:45pm. Linen until five, a zipped jacket after it.
November opens San Diego's rainy half of the year and then declines to take part. What it brings instead is a dry, bright afternoon and a cool, dark five o'clock.
The capsule
01Camel Harrington jacket, zip front, rib-trimmed collar and cuffsNights fall to 13°C / 55°F, and once the clocks go back on 1 November you are out in them by five. A camel Harrington with a zip front and rib-trimmed collar and cuffs shuts out the northeast wind on Harbor Drive, then rides in the bag from noon. It stops at the waist, so the belted dress underneath keeps its line.
02Navy crew knit with wide ecru Breton stripesWear it at 10am on 11 November, when the Veterans Day parade runs along Harbor Drive in front of the County Admin Building until 11:30. A navy crew knit with wide ecru stripes holds off a waterfront morning and stays on as the day climbs to 22°C / 72°F. Tuck it into the jeans, belt it, and zip the Harrington over the top.
03Cognac linen midi dress, V-neck, puff sleeves, tie-waist cutout, side slitAfternoons reach 22°C / 72°F and the air is dry: NWS San Diego's memo puts humidity 10 to 20 percent below average from November to February. Cognac linen breathes in that. Puff sleeves cover your shoulders from a low afternoon sun, the side slit lets you walk Old Town at pace, and the tie-waist cutout keeps it a dinner dress, not a beach one.
04Light-wash wide-leg jeansThree November days are spent on foot: Old Town on the 1st and 2nd, and the waterfront parade on the 11th. Light-wash wide-leg jeans let air through at 22°C / 72°F and keep some warmth in at 13°C / 55°F after dark, which linen will not. Pale blue also sits cleanly under camel and navy, the two colours this capsule is built on.
05Nude pointed-toe court heels, slim mid-height heelOne dressed shoe, kept to a mid-height heel. Dinner in Little Italy after a sunset at about 4:45pm is the November plan that asks for it, and a slim mid-height court is a heel you can still walk home in. Nude carries the line of the leg on under the cognac midi and disappears beneath wide-leg jeans, so one pair covers both evenings.
06Slim woven tan leather belt, gold-tone buckleA waist-length Harrington stops right at the belt line, so whatever sits there shows. Cinch the cognac dress with this slim woven tan belt when the jacket goes on at five, and thread it through the jeans with the Breton tucked in on parade morning. A woven strap takes the prong anywhere along its length, so it fits over a dress and through belt loops alike.
07Tan-brown slouchy leather shoulder bag, two top handles, zip pocketsCarry the Harrington in it from noon, because a 22°C / 72°F afternoon and a 13°C / 55°F evening are the same outing. A slouchy tan-brown leather shoulder bag takes a folded jacket without straining, and its zip pockets keep a phone and cards shut in Old Town on 1 and 2 November. Two top handles let you carry it by hand into dinner.
08Round gold-rim sunglasses, amber-tinted lensesNovember is the sunniest month in the NWS memo's 1961–90 table, at 75% of possible sunshine, and the sun sits low all afternoon. Round gold-rim frames with amber lenses cut the glare off the bay without turning the light grey. The gold rim picks up the belt buckle, and the frames stay on until the sun goes at about 4:45pm.
Day to night
Navy Breton tucked into light-wash wide-leg jeans · woven tan belt · camel Harrington open · amber sunglasses · tan shoulder bag. The Veterans Day parade on Harbor Drive at ten on the 11th, then lunch in Little Italy in full sun.
Cognac linen midi · woven belt at the waist · camel Harrington zipped · nude mid-height heels · tan shoulder bag. Old Town on 2 November for the 5pm candlelit procession, just after sunset, then dinner as the air drops toward 13°C / 55°F.
A suggested look — V-neck midi dress with puff sleeves, Classic harrington-style jacket in warm camel with rib-trimmed collar and cuffs, Slim woven leather belt with gold-tone buckle, Classic nude pointed-toe court heels with slim mid-height heel.
What to avoid
- A raincoat — 0.79 inches on about 4 days, and only about 2 clear a tenth of an inch
- A wool coat — a 22°C / 72°F afternoon puts it over your arm by eleven
- October's packing list — its 16°C / 61°F evenings wanted a cardigan; November's arrive colder and an hour earlier
- Beach or Balboa Park plans after four — the light is gone at about 4:45pm by mid-month
- Stilettos on 2 November — the Old Town procession walks to El Campo Santo after dark
Frequently asked questions
NOAA's figures for San Diego International Airport give November an average high of 21.5°C and a low of 12.7°C / 55°F, with 0.79 inches of rain on about 4 days and only about 2 days above a tenth of an inch. NWS San Diego's climate memo puts humidity 10 to 20 percent below average from November through February, and its 1961–90 table makes November the sunniest month, at 75% of possible sunshine, with a northeast prevailing wind inside the October-to-February Santa Ana season. Daylight shrinks from about 10h 50m on the 1st to 10h 10m on the 30th.
A camel Harrington jacket, a navy-and-ecru Breton knit, a cognac linen midi dress, light-wash wide-leg jeans, nude mid-height pointed heels, a slim woven tan belt, a slouchy tan-brown shoulder bag and round amber-lens sunglasses. That covers a 22°C / 72°F afternoon in full sun and a 13°C / 55°F evening that starts before five. Add a compact umbrella for the one or two properly wet days, and flat walking shoes if the Old Town procession is on your list. Leave the wool coat and the rain shell at home.
The San Diego Tourism Authority lists Día de los Muertos at Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, 4010 Twiggs Street, on 1 and 2 November 2026, run by the Old Town San Diego Chamber of Commerce, with "more than 40 unique altars" across the programme. The candlelit procession leaves Immaculate Conception Church at 5pm on the 2nd for El Campo Santo Cemetery, a few minutes after sunset. Dress to walk in cooling air: a jacket that zips, a midi or jeans, a mid-height heel at most, and a bag with zip pockets.
Early November, if you want the calendar. Día de los Muertos fills Old Town on 1 and 2 November, and the San Diego Veterans Day Parade runs along Harbor Drive on Wednesday 11 November from 10am to 11:30am, marking the 35th anniversary of Operation Desert Storm, according to the USS Midway Museum. Late November has fewer fixed dates and less light: sunset moves from about five on the 1st to about twenty to five by the 30th, and Thanksgiving falls on the 26th. The clocks go back at 2am on 1 November, so every evening of the month starts early.
November is about 2°C cooler by day and nearly 4°C cooler at night. NOAA's airport figures give October 23.7°C and 16.4°C, and November 21.5°C and 12.7°C. That night-time drop is the whole change in the suitcase: our October guide packs a cardigan for 16°C / 61°F evenings, while November wants a zipped jacket for 13°C / 55°F, and after 1 November those evenings start an hour earlier. Rain goes from about 2 days to about 4, still minor. The sun holds, since the NWS memo's table rates November the sunniest month of the year.
Clothes from North County labels, layered to come off at noon and go back on at five. REEF, founded in 1984 by the brothers Fernando and Santiago Aguerre and now headquartered in Carlsbad, makes the sandals and slides that still suit a 22°C / 72°F afternoon. prAna started in Beaver and Pam Theodosakis's Carlsbad garage, so both labels share a home town. In the city the November look is light-wash denim or a midi, a stripe or a plain tee, a short jacket after dark, and sunglasses until the sun goes at about 4:45pm.
Sources
- NOAA — 1991–2020 climate normals, San Diego International Airport (SAN) station
- NOAA NCEI — U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (monthly normals by station) — accessed 2026-09-26
- NOAA Technical Memorandum NWS WR-270 — Climate of San Diego, California (rev. September 2004) — accessed 2026-09-26
- NIST — Daylight saving time rules (2026: ends 1 November, 2 a.m.) — accessed 2026-09-26
- San Diego Tourism Authority — Día de Los Muertos, Old Town San Diego, Nov 1–2, 2026 — accessed 2026-09-26
- USS Midway Museum — San Diego Veterans Day Parade, Wednesday November 11, 2026 — accessed 2026-09-26
- REEF — About REEF — accessed 2026-09-26
- Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce — prAna founder shares thoughts on sustainability — accessed 2026-09-26
- U.S. Office of Personnel Management — Federal holidays 2026 — accessed 2026-09-26
