Climate and clothes for SD (San Diego: living, airport, land)

[NoWhere2GoButUp]

When it is cold in SD, what kind of clothes do you need. Lite jacket, coat, heavy coat? Are temperature shifts in SD similar to L.A.?

Is there a rainy season? When would that be?

[bloom]

Medium jacket at most. Layers are good. We are a near-desert so can experience a reasonable range between night and day. And can have pleasant but cool coast breezes. Above refers to areas within 4 miles of sea shore.
'Rainy season' is like Dec to March, but it really isn't rainy if historical average is only 11 inches per year.

[Think4Yourself]

I've seen it snow twice in 37 years (both in the same winter) and winter is the rainy season. While it can get occasionally cold in winter most of the time it doesn't get below the 50's at night even in the winter and while it can occasionally get warm in the summer most of the time it doesn't go above the 80's. The average yearly temperature is about 72 degrees with low humidity though you will see 10 degrees either direction depending upon the season. Santa Annas are about as bad as it gets but we normally only get 1-3 days per year with those.

Ocean temperatures get cold in the winter (upper 50's to low 60's) but even in winter it will be 5-10 degrees warmer in shallow inland bays like Mission Bay. In summer it isn't unusual to see the oceans get up to 80 degrees which is very pleasantly warm. If you go to the local mountains (which get as high as 6800 ft) then you get some pretty heavy snow fall which provides a good snow melt which keeps the local creeks and streams flowing year round. You need to remember that the county as a whole is a land of microclimates where you'll have the most mild weather in the coastal zone (usually the coastal plains), more variability (both warmer and colder) in the foothills, some pretty big temperature differences in the mountains, and then the deserts (east of the mountains in the rain shadow of the mountains) even more so. It gets even more complicated when you consider individual valley or hilltops in the different zones. All of this adds up to San Diego County having the most USDA climate zones of any county in the US with large differences occurring even in relatively short geographical mileage distances. If you enjoy hiking or the great outdoors this is a major plus as over half of the county (by land area) is public property so there is a huge amount of variations and different climate/ecological zones to explore all with in one hour of the city.

[lrmsd]

Just check wikipedia for climate info. In a nutshell: You'll need more than just shorts and flipflops, but can get by with those for much of the year. You use fans and space heaters about 2 weeks of the year, when living within 5 miles or so of the coast [which is common and the entire city runs along a coastline].

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by Think4Yourself

I've seen it snow twice in 37 years (both in the same winter) and winter is the rainy season. While it can get occasionally cold in winter most of the time it doesn't get below the 50's at night even in the winter and while it can occasionally get warm in the summer most of the time it doesn't go above the 80's. The average yearly temperature is about 72 degrees with low humidity though you will see 10 degrees either direction depending upon the season. Santa Annas are about as bad as it gets but we normally only get 1-3 days per year with those.

I know I'm quibbling somewhat but this is a bit off. The average low for SD in January is in the upper 40s for both December and January, and that's for the Airport, which is only a few miles from the coast. Areas further inland do get colder at night. Even other coastal spots tend to have nighttime temps a degree or two cooler than the airport as the airport is probably close to the heart of the urban heat island.

The average annual temp for the airport is 63, with an average high of 70 and an average low of 56, so the daily temperature range isn't that big, but tends to be larger in winter than in summer. Inland areas tend to have much warmer afternoons, especially in summer, and cooler nights, especially in winter and overall, are warmer and sunnier than the locations at or near the coast.

SAN DIEGO WSO AIRPORT, CALIFORNIA - Climate Summary

[Pedro2000]

It doesn't rain often in SD and we've had a drought this year so even less so. As far as cold, it depends on what you're used to. It's been around 70-80 during the day where i live, a little warmer inland when I got into an office, but as soon as it gets dark, it drops to like 50. I've even seen some days where it was 45. Is my phone or tablet accurate, who cares, I know it feels chilly at night and it is shorts and t-shirt weather during the day.

But I'm also from the NorthEast, so I pretty much wear shorts and t-shirts all the time. 50 degrees is fine for me compared to the snow and ice and 10 degree without wind chill winters. And it sure as hell beats Chicago. I worked out there a few years back and it was hell to me. It was even worse than the Northeast with the damn winds off the lake. So if you're used to that, 50 degrees is going to be shorts and t-shirt weather.

[James Stock]

Originally Posted by lrmsd

Just check wikipedia for climate info. In a nutshell: You'll need more than just shorts and flipflops, but can get by with those for much of the year. You use fans and space heaters about 2 weeks of the year, when living within 5 miles or so of the coast [which is common and the entire city runs along a coastline].

Yep, I'm with Irmsd. Weather is beautiful. Dress light as the humidity and sun can be quite warm. Late nights might require a jacket. Overall great weather and the majority shorts and flipflops (I despise!) would do it.