Sacramento vs. Phoenix (Fresno, Riverside, San Bernardino: how much, to move, metro area)

[Chimérique]

MX,

Sacramento averages 20 inches of rain per year, normally, and 90% of that rain comes in Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, and March. Those are wet months......average of 4 inches per month is wet. Last year was a very dry winter.

Were you here in during the winter 2016/2017? Sacramento had near 35 inches of rain and 90% of it fell in Dec, Jan, Feb, and March...that's an average of 8.75 inches per month.

Sacramento does not, normally, have a "dry winter" by any means.

[mxcolin]

Wet compared to where exactly? Where I grew up it would rain constantly for weeks at a time. Compared with LA and Phoenix it’s definitely wetter. But characterizing the winters as wet, cold and overcast as some do is such a narrow comparison. I’ve lived in Europe and in multiple places in the US. 95% of the population in both would kill for the winter here and find the cold, wet and overcast description ludicrous. I suppose if your only lived experience is the US Southwest you could maybe arrive at that conclusion. So yes, in that case, for 4 months of the year it’s rainier than a desert.

[49erfan916]

If you want more of a seasonal weather pattern, Sacramento would be the better place. Even though Sacramento pales into comparison with the NE as far as seasonal weather, their cool nights and watching the leafs change during the fall is something I took for granted.

[mxcolin]

That's true on the seasons. I'd say we get 3 seasons. Spring from late February to mid-May, Summer from late May to late October and Fall from November to mid-February. There's no period that could really be considered Winter in my opinion. We're about to get a week in the mid to high 60's in mid-January. That's late Spring weather in the NE. There are still Fall Colors in early December and you see Spring Colors in mid-Febraury.


Our coldest period of the year is over. We have one of the warmest Februarys in the country. You would need to go to coastal Georgia on the East Coast to get Februarys as warm as we have here.

[LakersWon310]

Sacramento is hands down California's coldest big city. No question about it.

[Racer46]

Loved Sacramento when visiting family there. Did not love Phoenix when visiting friends there.

[mxcolin]

Originally Posted by LakersWon310

Sacramento is hands down California's coldest big city. No question about it.

Yes it is. And its hottest and sunniest big city.

[Chimérique]

Originally Posted by mxcolin

Yes it is. And its hottest and sunniest big city.

And Sacramento has the most distinctive of all 4 seasons of California's big cities.

Bakersfield, Fresno, Redding, and the Palm Springs area are by far way hotter than Sacramento.

[shelato]

I am pretty sure that Riverside and San Bernardino are also hotter than Sacramento.

[mxcolin]

Guess you guys missed the “Big” in big cities.