In July, typical afternoon highs at USS Midway run around 74°F (mild). Mid-afternoon sun stands about 60° high, and the sun is up from 5:51 AM to 7:57 PM. Historic districts usually offer building shade on one side of the street as the sun moves.
See live sun & real shadows here →| January | 65°F |
| February | 67°F |
| March | 64°F |
| April | 66°F |
| May | 70°F |
| June | 72°F |
| July | 74°F |
| August | 78°F |
| September | 78°F |
| October | 74°F |
| November | 68°F |
| December | 68°F |
Historic districts usually offer building shade on one side of the street as the sun moves. See real building shadows over satellite imagery for any time of day: https://isthereshade.com/?anywhere&at=32.71445,-117.17315
Around 7:57 PM local time in mid-July (it shifts through the year). Sunrise is about 5:51 AM.
USS Midway · San Diego, CA. Data: exact sun position; climate normals from historical weather; live forecast on the interactive view.
An aircraft carrier is a slab of steel, and the top of the USS Midway is one of the most exposed places you can stand in San Diego. The flight deck runs wide and open, with the aircraft parked out under the sky and no canopy overhead, and the metal soaks up whatever sun reaches it. San Diego's climate is the great mercy: July afternoon highs sit around 74°F, rising only to about 78°F in late summer, cooled by the bay breeze off the water. The deck can feel bright and warm, but the air itself rarely does.
In high summer the sun rises around 5:51 AM and sets near 7:57 PM. By 3 PM it stands 60 degrees up and sits to the west-southwest at about a 256-degree bearing, high enough to reach almost the whole flight deck. The parked aircraft and the island superstructure throw shifting patches of shade, but they are narrow, and most of the deck stays lit through the afternoon. The steel underfoot holds heat, so the deck reads warmer than the mild air suggests, especially at midday.
The open flight deck and the catwalks around its edge are the exposed part, best toured earlier or later in the day when the low sun leaves longer shadows across the steel.
With highs in the mid-70s and a steady breeze off San Diego Bay, this is not a heat destination, and there is no hydration crisis to plan around. The sun on an open steel deck is still strong, and the metal reflects it, so sunburn is the real risk rather than heat. A hat and sunscreen cover it. If you would rather tour the deck in comfort, the morning is cool and the light is easy, while the late afternoon brings a softer sun and the aircraft casting longer shadows. Save the hangar and interior spaces for the brightest midday hours.
To see how the ship and its aircraft shade the deck at your planned hour, open the satellite shadow view before you come aboard.