How extreme does National City's weather get?

The hottest, coldest, wettest and snowiest days National City has recorded — the outer limits of what its weather can do, and how far they sit beyond a normal day.

Based on 50+ years of daily weather observations (1971–present), from the Chula Vista station 4 km away. Updated through April 2026 — an all-time extreme only changes when a more extreme day actually occurs, so some dates are old. That is normal, not stale data.

The four kinds of extreme

The hottest, coldest, wettest and snowiest single days National City has recorded — each shown against what a normal day that time of year looks like.

🔥 Hottest day

108°F Sep 4, 1988

That is about 31°F hotter than a normal September afternoon in National City (typical high near 77°F).

The three most extreme on record

1 108°F Sep 4, 1988

2 107°F Jun 12, 1984

3 107°F Jun 13, 1984

❄️ Coldest night

0°F Dec 16, 2004

About 46°F colder than a normal December night in National City (typical low near 46°F).

The three most extreme on record

1 0°F Dec 16, 2004

2 15°F Apr 14, 2003

3 23°F Sep 5, 1999

🌧️ Most rain in one day

2.42 in Feb 15, 1986

More rain in a single day than National City usually gets in the whole month of February (typical February total about 2.3 in).

The three most extreme on record

1 2.42 in Feb 15, 1986

2 2.38 in Feb 7, 1992

3 2.15 in Nov 24, 1985

How hot and cold it gets, month by month

The shaded band is the normal range of daily temperatures for each month. The dots show the most extreme it has ever been — so you can see how far beyond a normal day the records really sit.

normal range of daily temperatureshottest ever recordedcoldest ever recorded

National City's record heat sits well above even a hot day for the season — September's 108°F is about 31°F beyond a normal hot afternoon. Its record cold is just as far below a normal winter night — the dots mark how rare each extreme really is.

In plain terms

In a normal year, National City's warmest days reach the high 70s°F and its coldest nights drop to the mid-40s°F. But across the record it has gone as high as 108°F and as low as 0°F. A single day has delivered over 2 inches of rain. Those are the outer edges worth knowing if you are moving here, planning a trip, or thinking about a house.

Methodology & sources

Temperature & precipitation — the official 1991–2020 climate normals from NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals, measured at Imperial Beach Ream Fld Nas (NOAA GHCN station USW00093115), about 12 km from the city centre.

How we build these numbers →

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