Where to Travel in August: 18 Places at Their Best
Quick answer: August is the start of the peak of hurricane season in the Caribbean and Florida, so the 18 places at their best are mostly elsewhere: the Algarve, Santorini, San Diego, Mallorca and Bali for a beach, Aruba among the islands, and San Francisco, Lisbon, Porto and Seattle for a city. Cusco, for Machu Picchu, is at its best with 1 rain day.
Pick a destination to see its weather month by month and the best time to go, or pick a month to see where the weather is at its best.
Tokyo · a city trip
Good: Mar–May, Oct–DecNo month is ideal for a city trip by our rule, but these come close.
- Warmest
- Aug · 89°F
- Coolest
- Jan · 49°F
- Wettest
- Jul · 16 rain days
- Averages for 2006–2025: any single year can be hotter, colder or wetter.
Weather from NASA POWER daily data, 2006–2025, for the ~50 km area around each place. Right on the coast, afternoons can be a few degrees warmer than shown.
| Month | High / low (°F) | Rain days | Rain (in) | Storms within 100 mi | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49° / 34° | 5 | 2.4 | Off (too cold) | |
| Feb | 51° / 35° | 7 | 3.1 | Off (too cold) | |
| Mar | 57° / 40° | 12 | 5.1 | Good (cool, showery) | |
| Apr | 65° / 48° | 12 | 6 | Good (showery) | |
| May | 73° / 58° | 13 | 6.6 | Good (showery) | |
| Jun | 79° / 65° | 16 | 8.1 | Off (too wet) | |
| Jul | 86° / 73° | 16 | 6.5 | Off (too wet) | |
| Aug | 89° / 75° | 15 | 5.4 | Off (too hot) | |
| Sep | 82° / 70° | 16 | 8.7 | Off (too wet) | |
| Oct | 72° / 59° | 14 | 8.9 | Good (showery) | |
| Nov | 63° / 48° | 11 | 4.4 | Good (showery) | |
| Dec | 54° / 39° | 7 | 3.2 | Good (cool) |
The tool above opens on August: switch the kind of trip, or pick any of the 173 places for its weather all year. Below, every place at its best in August, sorted from the fewest rainy days.
Beach trips at their best in August (10)
Honolulu and Kauai are back at their best, Honolulu at 83°F / 28°C.
| Place | High / low | Rain days | Storm seasons* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Algarve (Faro) Portugal | 83 / 68°F 28 / 20°C | 1 | — |
| Santorini (Fira) Greece | 81 / 76°F 27 / 25°C | 1 | — |
| San Diego California | 87 / 64°F 31 / 18°C | 1 | — |
| Mallorca (Palma) Spain | 84 / 77°F 29 / 25°C | 5 | — |
| Amalfi Coast (Positano) Italy | 81 / 78°F 27 / 25°C | 5 | — |
| Bali (Denpasar) Indonesia | 81 / 71°F 27 / 22°C | 5 | — |
| Curaçao | 84 / 82°F 29 / 28°C | 7 | 1 of 50 |
| Aruba | 85 / 82°F 29 / 28°C | 8 | 0 of 50 |
| Kauaʻi (Līhuʻe) Hawaii | 81 / 78°F 27 / 25°C | 9 | 1 of 50 |
| Honolulu (Oʻahu) Hawaii | 83 / 77°F 28 / 25°C | 9 | 1 of 50 |
* Seasons, of the last 50 (1976–2025), in which a tropical storm or hurricane passed within 100 miles in August. A beach with 5 or more is left out of this list; see the hurricane section below.
Warm cities at their best in August (0)
None of the 6 warm cities in the tool is at its best in August by the rule below. Closest: Santo Domingo, good but stormy and showery, with a high of 89°F.
City breaks at their best in August (7)
| Place | High / low | Rain days |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco California | 74 / 55°F 23 / 13°C | 0 |
| Lisbon Portugal | 74 / 65°F 23 / 18°C | 1 |
| Porto Portugal | 77 / 62°F 25 / 16°C | 3 |
| Seattle Washington | 74 / 56°F 23 / 13°C | 5 |
| Sydney Australia | 64 / 54°F 18 / 12°C | 7 |
| Vancouver Canada | 69 / 55°F 21 / 13°C | 9 |
| Paris France | 76 / 56°F 25 / 13°C | 10 |
Mountains and nature at their best in August (1)
| Place | High / low | Rain days |
|---|---|---|
| Cusco (Machu Picchu) Peru | 60 / 37°F 16 / 3°C | 1 |
Popular places in August
Aruba, Honolulu and Bali are the popular beaches at their best; Paris, Lisbon and Santorini are the European picks.
| Place | August | High / low | Rain days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cancún Mexico | Off (too wet, storms) | 87 / 80°F 31 / 27°C | 21 |
| Punta Cana Dominican Republic | Off (too wet, storms) | 84 / 83°F 29 / 28°C | 17 |
| Montego Bay Jamaica | Off (too wet, storms) | 88 / 82°F 31 / 28°C | 26 |
| Nassau Bahamas | Off (too wet, storms) | 85 / 84°F 30 / 29°C | 24 |
| Aruba | Best | 85 / 82°F 29 / 28°C | 8 |
| San Juan Puerto Rico | Off (too wet, storms) | 87 / 80°F 31 / 27°C | 26 |
| Honolulu (Oʻahu) Hawaii | Best | 83 / 77°F 28 / 25°C | 9 |
| Maui (Kahului) Hawaii | Good (showery) | 79 / 76°F 26 / 24°C | 11 |
| Miami Beach Florida | Off (too wet, storms) | 86 / 83°F 30 / 28°C | 28 |
| Key West Florida | Off (too wet, storms) | 86 / 85°F 30 / 29°C | 25 |
| Orlando Florida | Off (too hot, too wet, storms) | 89 / 76°F 32 / 24°C | 26 |
| New York City | Good (hot, showery) | 79 / 70°F 26 / 21°C | 13 |
| Las Vegas Nevada | Off (too hot) | 103 / 77°F 40 / 25°C | 4 |
| New Orleans Louisiana | Off (too hot, too wet, storms) | 88 / 80°F 31 / 27°C | 22 |
| Cabo San Lucas Mexico | Good (storms, hot) | 88 / 80°F 31 / 27°C | 9 |
| Puerto Vallarta Mexico | Off (too wet) | 82 / 70°F 28 / 21°C | 30 |
| Paris France | Best | 76 / 56°F 25 / 13°C | 10 |
| London United Kingdom | Good (showery) | 73 / 55°F 23 / 13°C | 11 |
| Rome Italy | Off (too hot) | 91 / 70°F 33 / 21°C | 5 |
| Barcelona Spain | Off (too hot) | 87 / 69°F 30 / 21°C | 7 |
| Lisbon Portugal | Best | 74 / 65°F 23 / 18°C | 1 |
| Athens Greece | Off (too hot) | 91 / 74°F 33 / 23°C | 1 |
| Santorini (Fira) Greece | Best | 81 / 76°F 27 / 25°C | 1 |
| Tokyo Japan | Off (too hot) | 89 / 75°F 31 / 24°C | 15 |
| Bali (Denpasar) Indonesia | Best | 81 / 71°F 27 / 22°C | 5 |
| Bangkok Thailand | Off (too wet) | 89 / 76°F 32 / 25°C | 26 |
| Phuket Thailand | Off (too wet) | 83 / 81°F 28 / 27°C | 27 |
| Dubai United Arab Emirates | Off (too hot) | 95 / 91°F 35 / 33°C | 1 |
| Cusco (Machu Picchu) Peru | Best | 60 / 37°F 16 / 3°C | 1 |
| Reykjavík Iceland | Off (too wet) | 55 / 47°F 13 / 8°C | 16 |
| Banff Canada | Good (showery) | 62 / 42°F 17 / 5°C | 14 |
| Grand Canyon (South Rim) Arizona | Off (too hot) | 87 / 62°F 31 / 17°C | 12 |
Hurricane season in August
St. Barts has the highest count in August, 12 of 50 seasons, with Anguilla, Barbados and Cabo San Lucas close behind.
68 of the tool’s beaches had a tropical storm or hurricane within 100 miles in August in 5 or more of the last 50 seasons, so none of them can rate “best” this month: St. Barts (12 of 50), Anguilla (11 of 50), Barbados (11 of 50), Cabo San Lucas (11 of 50), Guadeloupe (11 of 50), Martinique (11 of 50), St. Martin / Sint Maarten (11 of 50), Dominica (10 of 50), Key West (10 of 50), San Juan (10 of 50), St. Croix (10 of 50) and St. John (10 of 50) and 56 more.
For your own dates, the hurricane risk calculator counts the storms near 92 beach towns, day by day. It is history, not a forecast: for a storm that exists now, read the National Hurricane Center.
Plan a August trip
- What Aruba is known for
- Things to do in Cusco
- Mauritius or Bali?
- Things to do in Seattle
- Your complete summer bucket list
FAQ
Where to travel in August?
By the weather, 18 of the 173 places in our tool are at their best in August. Beach trips: Algarve (Faro), Santorini (Fira), San Diego and Mallorca (Palma); warm cities: none; city breaks: San Francisco, Lisbon, Porto and Seattle; mountains and nature: Cusco (Machu Picchu). The tables above list every one, with its average high, low and rain days.
What are the best places to travel in August?
The driest place at its best for each kind of trip: for beach trips, Algarve (Faro) at 83°F / 28°C with 1 rain day; for city breaks, San Francisco at 74°F / 23°C with 0 rain days; for mountains and nature, Cusco (Machu Picchu) at 60°F / 16°C with 1 rain day.
What are warm places to travel in August?
10 beaches and warm cities are at their best in August. The warmest of them: San Diego at 87°F / 31°C; Aruba at 85°F / 29°C; Curaçao at 84°F / 29°C; Mallorca (Palma) at 84°F / 29°C.
What are the warmest places in the US in August?
By average high: Las Vegas at 103°F / 40°C; Galveston at 91°F / 33°C; Nashville at 90°F / 32°C; Daytona Beach at 90°F / 32°C; Charleston at 89°F / 32°C. Of the US places at least “good” in August, San Diego, South Padre Island and Denver lead.
Is August hurricane season?
Yes. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30 (the eastern Pacific’s from May 15). In August the most storms came near St. Barts (12 of 50 seasons), Anguilla (11 of 50 seasons), Barbados (11 of 50 seasons) and Cabo San Lucas (11 of 50 seasons).
How “at its best” is decided
A place is at its best in a month when its average daily high falls in the range for its kind of trip and it rains (1 mm or more) on 10 days or fewer. At a beach, a month in which a tropical storm or hurricane came within 100 miles in 5 or more of the last 50 seasons cannot be best.
| Kind of trip | Average high | Rain days |
|---|---|---|
| Beach | 79–88°F (26–31°C) | 10 or fewer |
| Warm city | 79–90°F (26–32°C) | 10 or fewer |
| City | 63–79°F (17–26°C) | 10 or fewer |
| Mountains and nature | 59–77°F (15–25°C) | 10 or fewer |
The weather is NASA POWER’s daily record for 2006–2025, averaged for each place over about 50 km, so a beach right on the water can be a few degrees warmer, day and night, than shown, most where mountains rise behind the coast. Storms: NOAA’s hurricane tracks (HURDAT2), 1976–2025. Every month is an average: any single year can be hotter, colder or wetter.