Does California have really humid parts? (San Diego, San Francisco: live, vs., beach)

[moshywilly]

I go on Google Earth all the time for fun. I looked at random parts at the coast of California. I saw a super green part, which is Monterey, but some parts of the state's coastline are a desert. I checked Monterey's weather a month ago and the humidity percentages on that week's forecast were as high as what you get on the East Coast. The tones of green Google Earth shows are not perfectly accurate at times. The greenery Google Earth shows can make a place look prettier than what it looks like in real life.


I read up on the internet about what causes the "West" to have arid climates instead of having humid/subtropical climates like the East. The humidity that travels from West to East goes up the Cascade Mountains into the air and that dehumidifies the air. Then those clouds created by the humidity will more likely travel west causing places west of it to have more rain and more greenery. I am not sure why anything east of the Cascades rarely receives rain. How can the coastline of California be a desert if the coastline is west of the Cascade range? Like shouldn't it all be green?

[Snort]

Under the armpits. Hemet? Perris?
Mmmmm....yeah, northwest CA is humid all along the coast. A few miles inland though, not as much.

[Ruth4Truth]

About your rain question, fewer storms coming in off the Pacific, than in the NW? Look at Chile's Atacama Desert, and Perus' coastal desert, too, and Baja CA--also desert. Hmmm.... Good question. And the far north coast of CA is very rainy, like the NW. Climatically and culturally it's considered part of the NW.

I think if you're comparing humidity of the air to the East Coast (vs. comparing rain north to south), it must have to do with the very cold currents off the W Coast, vs. the warm current off the E Coast.

[Ruth4Truth]

Here you go, OP; from national geographic.org. The desert conditions do, indeed, have to do with the cold current.

(About the west coast of Chile and Peru)

The western coastal plains are also extremely dry. They are trapped between the cold Peru Current to the west and the Andes Mountains to the east. The Peru Current brings cold water to the Pacific coast of Peru and Chile. This cold surface water results in thermal inversion: cold air at sea level and stable, warmer air higher up. Thermal inversion produces a thick layer of clouds at low altitudes. These low-lying clouds blanket much of the Pacific coast of South America. They do not allow precipitation to form.

[moshywilly]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

About your rain question, fewer storms coming in off the Pacific, than in the NW? Look at Chile's Atacama Desert, and Perus' coastal desert, too, and Baja CA--also desert. Hmmm.... Good question. And the far north coast of CA is very rainy, like the NW. Climatically and culturally it's considered part of the NW.

I think if you're comparing humidity of the air to the East Coast (vs. comparing rain north to south), it must have to do with the very cold currents off the W Coast, vs. the warm current off the E Coast.

I went to Seattle in August 2016 and even though the place is lush and green, I never felt humidity like you could on the East Coast. So I assume California doesn't feel "muggy" like the East Coast in Cali's very green areas.

[Hemlock140]

No, the marine fog in CA like in San Francisco and San Diego raise humidity but also keeps it cooler. We lived in CA 40 years and never saw any humidity at all close to what they have in places like Chicago or New Orleans where I have been in the summer, and it’s 90 degrees with 95% humidity. You walk out the door and immediately are covered with sweat.

[dontbelievehim]

The far northwest corner of california is dry
Lots of upper 40s and low 50s throughout the summer.

The only place I know of consistently drier is the middle of california(Los Banos, Merced, Fresno area). Socal can have some very humid weather, that's our tropical piece of california. I believe San Diego had some 80 degree water readings this year!

[Mr5150]

With the humid parts of CA the temps are low. Coastal. 60s to 70s with high humidity is no big deal. Unlike eastern states where it’s over 90 with humidity running 60 to 80%. Miserable.

In eastern CA it can be 95 with 15% humidity Quite comfortable.

Originally Posted by dontbelievehim

The far northwest corner of california is dry
Lots of upper 40s and low 50s throughout the summer!

Umm...

Do your homework. The northwest part of CA is damp with tons of rain. Eureka and north the grass stays green all summer. 60 plus inches of rain a year is not dry

[sav858]

Look at the dew points as that indicates temperature too. Monterey may be humid but it’s also cool, 60’s and low 70’s.

Coastal Southern CA can get warm and humid somewhat like the east coast because the water can get much warmer down there. This summer has been particularly humid down there with dewpoints reaching into the low 70’s at times with temps in the 80’s.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by potanta

I went to Seattle in August 2016 and even though the place is lush and green, I never felt humidity like you could on the East Coast. So I assume California doesn't feel "muggy" like the East Coast in Cali's very green areas.

Well, mugginess does happen, in the Bay Area and in Seattle, but not at all like East coast mugginess. And it's not a regular thing. Did you ever go into the water, at the beach in CA? It's cold, especially on the Central Coast and NorCal. And in the NW, it's a whole other concept of "cold"; you go numb in the water within minutes. The temps of the currents has a lot to do with the lack of humidity. Even when it's hot in Seattle or the Bay Area, it doesn't get East-Coast-humid.