San Diego, CA rainwater: 8,759 gallons off a roof
San Diego, CA: gallons off the roof each year
8,759gallons a year
That is a 1,500 sq ft asphalt roof under San Diego, CA's normal 11.0 inches of rain, about 795 gallons for every inch that falls.
San Diego, CA's rain arrives in a wet season and stops, so storage is what matters. It takes a cistern of 2,500 gallons to carry spring rain into the dry months.
Rainfall: NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, the San Diego Montgomery Fld station (1.5 mi away). San Diego, CA ranks 319th wettest of the 376 cities covered in California.
Month by month in San Diego
| Month | Rain (in) | Off the roof (gal) | Garden shortfall (gal) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2.32 | 1,844 | |
| Feb | 2.65 | 2,106 | |
| Mar | 1.63 | 1,296 | |
| Apr | 0.77 | 612 | 446 |
| May | 0.28 | 223 | 507 |
| Jun | 0.06 | 48 | 535 |
| Jul | 0.07 | 56 | 534 |
| Aug | 0.01 | 8 | 541 |
| Sep | 0.17 | 135 | 521 |
| Oct | 0.54 | 429 | 475 |
| Nov | 0.91 | 723 | |
| Dec | 1.61 | 1,280 |
Feb is the wettest month (2.65 in, 2,106 gal off the roof); Aug the driest (0.01 in). Garden shortfall is what a 200 sq ft vegetable bed needs beyond the rain that lands on it, April to October.
What size rain barrel for San Diego
Best fit: a 2,500-gallon cistern, which delivers about 3,250 gallons to the garden in a normal year (91.3% of its need).
If you set one up, ask about a rebate first: cistern-sized storage costs real money, and a buried or tall tank may need a permit. Place it where a full tank (about 8.3 lb a gallon) sits on firm, level ground.
| Tank | Water used (gal/yr) | Spills over (gal/yr) |
|---|---|---|
| 55 gal | 275 | 7,952 |
| 110 gal | 544 | 7,683 |
| 165 gal | 764 | 7,463 |
| 275 gal | 1,025 | 7,203 |
| 550 gal | 1,300 | 6,928 |
| 1,000 gal | 1,750 | 6,478 |
| 1,500 gal | 2,250 | 5,978 |
| 2,500 gal | 3,250 | 4,978 |
| 5,000 gal | 3,498 | 4,729 |
Simulated storm by storm through a normal year using the station's count of days with 0.1 in or more of rain each month.
Is rainwater collection legal in California?
Legal. Use of rainwater collected from rooftops does not require a water right permit (Rainwater Capture Act of 2012, Water Code 10570 et seq.). The Act does not change existing water rights; local building/plumbing codes still apply to installed systems.
Checked against the current source on 2026-11-06. Source