How hot are Sacramento summers? (Roseville, Davis: transplants, homes, neighborhood)

[MichaelDante]

I can related to coming from a cold/ cooler raining environment into Sacramento's reputation of hot summers since I moved from Tacoma, WA to Sacramento during their record heat wave last summer! The first week I was here it was over 100 for something like two weeks (I think it reached 109 a few days actually) and it seemed over 100 for the first month including having to move in that heat. LOL But... that actually helped me since once the heat came down to their normal average it didn't seem as hot to me since it wasn't 109 anymore. I had not been in 90 degree temps in over 3 years but once that heat wave went away i didn't mind the sun and 90 degree weather especially when back in WA it was still rainy and cold and the sun was still only making occasional cameos. I actually dealt with the heat better than my friends who live here but hate the heat.

Like everything some people deal with heat or cold environments differently. What I can take you might think is hell and vice versa. My humble suggestion is to visit if possible during the hot months to test it out since there are a lot of stuck people here who hate the summers but moved before testing it out and can't do anything about moving away. Also don't be afraid to get out in the heat, you won't get acclimated staying inside all the time. Get out and start getting used to it, get a place with central air, plan things around places you can stop inside cool places from time time to cool off and hopefully all is well.

[caligirlz]

Whole house fans work really good here and they cut down on AC use.

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by Bonez765

it can reach triple digits, but at night, it cools down to a comfortable 60 degrees. however, triple digits don't always happen, but it can be around 90 degrees on average.

Correction:

The average July and August highs & lows at the Sac. City station:

91.6/59.1 in July
90.5/58.6 in August

http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?casacc+nca


So it's a little hotter than some on this thread are saying, but low 90s is pretty tolerable. 100 degree weather in Sac. is a drag but doesn't usually last more than a few days at a time. Other locations in the area tend to have slightly hotter days, but slightly cooler nights.

Also, be aware that the eastern suburbs like Rocklin & Folsom get less marine influence and are 3-4 degrees hotter on summer days and about the same or only a tad cooler at night.

http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?carock+nca

http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?cafols+nca

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by Chimérique

I CAN believe this. I often tell newcomers to Sacramento that it feels like you won't see a single cloud in the sky from June through September, not any kind of cloud. I don't think we realize how "cloudless" Sacramento really is.

Although, when the California Pacific marine layer is especially strong it will send clouds as far east as Sacramento at least 10 times throughout the summer, and it can actually be "overcast" for an hour or two on those particular days, but it always burns off fairly quickly and it is very rare to have a full days worth of overcast-marine layer the way parts of the Bay Area/Nor-Cal Coast can have, or coastal SoCal.

The cloudless summers in Sac. are amazing. Even desert cities are not as sunny in July & August.

Too bad Sac. can be so cloudy/foggy/dreary in Dec. & Jan. It would be nice if it even had Bay Area levels of sun in those 2 months.

[wburg]

San Francisco has, on average, 2 more sunny days in January than Sacramento, and the same average number of sunny days in February.

Average Annual Sunshine in US Cities - Current Results

For those who like sunshine and don't mind fog and clouds, it's the best of both worlds. And I have never had to shovel fog off my sidewalk.

[Chimérique]

Originally Posted by mysticaltyger

Too bad Sac. can be so cloudy/foggy/dreary in Dec. & Jan. It would be nice if it even had Bay Area levels of sun in those 2 months.

Again, I think another misnomer about Sacramento - the amount of fog/clouds in the winter is less than perceived.

I'd like to find the actual weather stats regarding sunless days in Dec, Jan, Feb. I'd bet our winter cloudy foggy overcast days is less than you would think -- sunnier than many cities across the nation. Last winter, for example, I can't remember any stretch beyond one day where the fog remained all day.

[Chimérique]

Originally Posted by Chimérique

Again, I think another misnomer about Sacramento - the amount of fog/clouds in the winter is less than perceived.

I'd like to find the actual weather stats regarding sunless days in Dec, Jan, Feb. I'd bet our winter cloudy foggy overcast days is less than you would think -- sunnier than many cities across the nation. Last winter, for example, I can't remember any stretch beyond one day where the fog remained all day.

Ok, duh, Burg just provided a link - thanks Burg.

Jan - All cities listed - average clear days is 7.6

Sac = 7.

Portland = 3
Seattle = 3

Sacramento is twice as sunny as Seattle/Portland - even in the winter - when it's the cloudiest/foggiest time of the year for Sac.

[tstieber]

Overall, Sac gets sun 79% of the year, which is the average of all 365 days. That's actually more than Los Angeles at 78%. The difference is that in Sacramento, the winters are cloudier and the summers are sunnier. I think after months of constant sunshine, the winter clouds and fog seem more noticeable, but they really aren't horrible. It's just something to adjust to after that long stretch of sun.

I grew up in eastern Walnut Creek (East Bay), and I'll bet it may be even sunnier there for the year, as they are east of the marine layer 99% of the time, and west of the tule fog 50% of the time. The still tend to get more tule fog than coastal fog, but overall, they're right on the edge of the Bay/Central Valley climate which gives them the best of both worlds in terms of sun.

[tstieber]

Overall, Sac gets sun 79% of the year, which is the average of all 365 days. That's actually more than Los Angeles at 78%. The difference is that in Sacramento, the winters are cloudier and the summers are sunnier. I think after months of constant sunshine, the winter clouds and fog seem more noticeable, but they really aren't horrible. It's just something to adjust to after that long stretch of sun.

I grew up in eastern Walnut Creek (East Bay), and I'll bet it may be even sunnier there for the year, as they are east of the marine layer 99% of the time, and west of the tule fog 50% of the time. The still tend to get more tule fog than coastal fog, but overall, they're right on the edge of the Bay/Central Valley climate which gives them the best of both worlds in terms of sun.

[ryuns]

Originally Posted by Chimérique

Ok, duh, Burg just provided a link - thanks Burg.

Jan - All cities listed - average clear days is 7.6

Sac = 7.

Portland = 3
Seattle = 3

Sacramento is twice as sunny as Seattle/Portland - even in the winter - when it's the cloudiest/foggiest time of the year for Sac.

Maybe this week is bad example because it's getting freakishly cold even with the sun. (I was thinking I shouldn't feel bad for myself on my bike commute, since everyone in Copenhagen rides year-round. I looked it up--it's warmer there than here this week!). But still, around this time of year, I'm reminded of how much sun we tend to get in the winter and also reminded why deciduous trees are a good idea. Leaves are good in the summer; sun is good in the winter. We only have one room in our little house at gets full sun, and if the leaves didn't come off the big sycamores in the street, we wouldn't have any sun at all.