The last time downtown San Francisco experienced 50°F was in 1922 — 11 years before the Golden Gate Bridge finished construction.
It’s been a particularly cold start to autumn in San Francisco. Recent thick fog conditions, coupled with already overcast conditions and abnormally cool atmospheric temperatures, have created a perfect recipe for cold snaps. This week alone, San Francisco recorded its chilliest day in over six years.
San Francisco downtown high temperature was 50F Sunday, November 30, 2025. High temp 50F is a record low maximum temperature for the day, previous record was 51F in 1922.
The last time San Francisco had a high temperature 50F or cooler was February 27, 2023.#CAwx
— NWS Bay Area 🌉 (@NWSBayArea) December 1, 2025
But a quieter and record-breaking temperature was registered in downtown San Francisco on Sunday, November 28th.
“San Francisco downtown high temperature was 50°F Sunday, November 30, 2025,” reads a post on X from the SF Bay Area chapter of the National Weather Service (NWS). Frigid, yes. And apparently record-breaking, per NWS; downtown San Francisco hadn’t seen a colder day in 103 years — “[a high] temp 50°F is a record low maximum temperature for the day, previous record was 51°F in 1922.”
NWS has reported other record-breaking low temperatures across the SF Bay Area in recent days. Santa Clara’s similar high of 50°F was the lowest low-temps in over seven years, with the previous record dating back to 1985.
Thankfully for those who have closets filled with mostly light outerwear, San Francisco’s record-shattering cold spell will ease this week, albeit slightly. Highs are still projected to remain in the upper 50s°F, and lows will continue in the high 40s°F.
Feature Image: Courtesy of NWS
