Misconceptions About San Francisco (Oakland, Berkeley: areas, cities, lesbians)

[KT13]

Originally Posted by CaliforniaSwagger

Myth 64587485:

San Francisco's weather represents ALL of the Bay Area's climate.

I cant even begin to count the number of times people have painted NorCal with the "its always cold and foggy" brush. I think its because they get off the plane @ SFO, and head straight for the city on arrival. Never venturing south or east. San Mateo is alot warmer and if you really want a slice of SoCal weather go to the South Bay where palm tree lined boulevards are ever present along with the warm temps. Microclimates are something most people can't grasp.

I am one of those people, but I am very well aware of 'micro-climates' having lived in Bay Area (city and the valley) for 9 years. I just think it's not much of a variety to speak of. The city is cold and foggy with occasional bright and warm sunny days a few times a year. some areas of the city get more sunshine than others, but the wind is still cold, it's not a place where you will be wearing summer clothes. The suburbs have 'valley' and 'hills' weather, not much different than 'valley' and 'hills' of LA. the difference only is that in LA you can actually use the beaches without a sweatshirt and a wetsuit in summer. SoCal weather beats Bay Area weather any time for me, at least there I can enjoy the warm beaches and wear summer clothes.

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by KT13

I am one of those people, but I am very well aware of 'micro-climates' having lived in Bay Area (city and the valley) for 9 years. I just think it's not much of a variety to speak of. The city is cold and foggy with occasional bright and warm sunny days a few times a year. some areas of the city get more sunshine than others, but the wind is still cold, it's not a place where you will be wearing summer clothes. The suburbs have 'valley' and 'hills' weather, not much different than 'valley' and 'hills' of LA. the difference only is that in LA you can actually use the beaches without a sweatshirt and a wetsuit in summer. SoCal weather beats Bay Area weather any time for me, at least there I can enjoy the warm beaches and wear summer clothes.

I don't think that was the point haha.

However, I think saying that SF only has occasionally sunny days is another misconception lol.

Areas that stick out more over the water tend to get more fog. If you dislike fog, then LA is great because it doesn't have any of those. San Diego does though. La Jolla is known for it's fog. If you live on the campus of UCSD and leave your window open all night, no joke, there will be fog in your room LOL. Often from Mission Bay you can see the fog hanging over La Jolla in a similar way to looking at the western side of SF. Point Loma has this to a lesser extent.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Originally Posted by rah

Actualy clongirl, as someone from SF i would never call SF damp. It can get somewhat cold, foggy and windy, but as we all know the city alone is full of micro climates, and it's exceedingly rare that the ENTIRE city is foggy and cold at the same time...we don't even get fog and wind every day anyways. It's most prevalent in the summer, in the western hoods, and rolls around in the morning, before burning off and coming back again in the evening (the high inland summer temperatures warm the air, which then clashes with the cold air coming off the pacific, creating huge fog banks). SF's climate is Mediterranean, just like SD or LA...SD or LA may be a little more warm on average, but the climates aren't very different at all. Before SF was built up it was mostly scrubland and sand dunes, with some marshes along the bay...it's a pretty dry place when it's not the rainy season.

I think the comparisons between SF and the Pacific Northwest in terms of weather usually work like this: SF = fog. Fog = damp and cold, right? Seattle = rain. Rain = damp and cold, right? Therefore SF and Seattle = the same!

I can see why people might think that...but it's not really the case. As for cold, temps that average 50-70 degrees year round with a heat wave here and there, and temps that barely ever drop below 40? Doesn't seem too cold to me.

I loved the winter weather in the Sunset. It tended to be warmer than most other places in the Bay Area. Rain was on par (low 20s inches) with the Peninsula foothills and the Western Santa Clara Valley. No frost. Between storms, great BBQing weather (I'd be out in my backyard basking in the afternoon sun, wearing shorts and a hoodie, mid to high 60s). When the tule fog intrudes into the Central Bay, North Bay and Santa Clara Valley / San Mateo County Bayside, it often does not reach the open Pacific beach areas. I think I saw tule fog twice during my entire time living there. I'd commute to the Peninsula and they'd be in a pea souper.

Now, of course, in summer, you pay the price ...

[skyway31]

Originally Posted by Gentoo

I don't think that was the point haha.

However, I think saying that SF only has occasionally sunny days is another misconception lol.

Areas that stick out more over the water tend to get more fog. If you dislike fog, then LA is great because it doesn't have any of those. San Diego does though. La Jolla is known for it's fog. If you live on the campus of UCSD and leave your window open all night, no joke, there will be fog in your room LOL. Often from Mission Bay you can see the fog hanging over La Jolla in a similar way to looking at the western side of SF. Point Loma has this to a lesser extent.

The bolded sentence is COMPLETELY wrong.

[batransplant]

Coastal LA generally only gets fog in late may/june aka "june gloom", but this is common along the entire southern california coast, not just LA. If you live more than 2 miles from the ocean in LA, you will not be affected by fog during those months. The temperature in LA is generally 10-15 degrees warmer than whatever the temperature is in the respective bay area town with the exception of heat waves, which sometimes overlap w/ LA and sometimes they don't.

For example, I just spent 1 week in LA over Christmas. The temp was around 70 and sunny every day. When I left, there was sun with no need for a jacket. When I got back to the bay area it was pouring rain and about 20 degrees colder.

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by skyway31

The bolded sentence is COMPLETELY wrong.

No no no no. What I meant was that LA for the most part doesn't really have any land thatis surrounded by water or jets as much as SF or La Jolla respectively. I know LA gets fog along the coast. Been there on foggy days and foggy nights downtown which is not near the water.

[skyway31]

Originally Posted by batransplant

Coastal LA generally only gets fog in late may/june aka "june gloom", but this is common along the entire southern california coast, not just LA. If you live more than 2 miles from the ocean in LA, you will not be affected by fog during those months. The temperature in LA is generally 10-15 degrees warmer than whatever the temperature is in the respective bay area town with the exception of heat waves, which sometimes overlap w/ LA and sometimes they don't.

For example, I just spent 1 week in LA over Christmas. The temp was around 70 and sunny every day. When I left, there was sun with no need for a jacket. When I got back to the bay area it was pouring rain and about 20 degrees colder.

The marine layer, within a mile or two of the coast, is prevalent much more than just may and June. I lived in Hermosa Beach for nearly 6 years and visit most every weekend now. It's certainly not just a May/June thing. Now, it;s true that if you're inland it's pretty much not an issue except for the mornings and nights.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Originally Posted by batransplant

Coastal LA generally only gets fog in late may/june aka "june gloom", but this is common along the entire southern california coast, not just LA. If you live more than 2 miles from the ocean in LA, you will not be affected by fog during those months. The temperature in LA is generally 10-15 degrees warmer than whatever the temperature is in the respective bay area town with the exception of heat waves, which sometimes overlap w/ LA and sometimes they don't.

For example, I just spent 1 week in LA over Christmas. The temp was around 70 and sunny every day. When I left, there was sun with no need for a jacket. When I got back to the bay area it was pouring rain and about 20 degrees colder.

When I lived in the Southland, mostly at the coast, I noticed the existence of the marine layer ongoing from more like early May through ~ October. The other notable thing was, unlike Nor Cal, the marine layer could easily get reestablished at other times of the year - in other words, with the tendency of the Pacific High to be more entrenched closer to the equator, even in the middle of winter it might affect So Cal but nothing north of it, leading to instances of the "summer pattern."

[KC6ZLV]

Originally Posted by Gentoo

Although San Diego is warmer than San Fransisco, the basic weather pattern is still the same. Distinctly different from the Pacific Northwest. So yes it is a misconception.

How about misconceptions about the climate of the Northwest? Much of western Oregon has a Mediterranean climate. Willamette Valley has a climate type of Csb. This climate type extends to just south of Tacoma where it transitions to Cfb, with Csb micro-climates found in the rain shadows up into British Columbia. The Grants Pass and Ashlan areas are probably Csa, which is the interior Mediterranean climate found from Sacramento to Redding.

You don't see much rain in Oregon in the summer unless you are on the coast or on the west slope of the Cascades. Grants Pass has the same flora found in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Many places in the Willamette Valley are dried out in the summer.

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by KC6ZLV

How about misconceptions about the climate of the Northwest? Much of western Oregon has a Mediterranean climate. Willamette Valley has a climate type of Csb. This climate type extends to just south of Tacoma where it transitions to Cfb, with Csb micro-climates found in the rain shadows up into British Columbia. The Grants Pass and Ashlan areas are probably Csa, which is the interior Mediterranean climate found from Sacramento to Redding.

You don't see much rain in Oregon in the summer unless you are on the coast or on the west slope of the Cascades. Grants Pass has the same flora found in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Many places in the Willamette Valley are dried out in the summer.

OOps, didn't know they changed the title of the thread...sorry.