Winter weather in CA (San Jose, San Francisco: vacation, rent , job)

[chicagoresident]

Hello,

I'm looking to make a move from chicago and was wondering what the weather is like from Nov-March? I'm asthmatic and need a place that's warm/dry most of the year. Are there any other cities/states you can recommend? Any info on LA, San Jose, Mountain View, Sunnyvale...?

Thanks for the help!

[jscore]

Depends where you move to. The mildest (warmest) winter will be San Francisco. I'd say mid 40s at night for the most part. Other cities might warmer during the day the temps will be colder at night.

[sonarrat]

It's 49 degrees here in Redwood City right now, just got back from San Jose where it was noticeably colder.

[Tilden Educated]

Originally Posted by chicagoresident

Hello,

I'm looking to make a move from chicago and was wondering what the weather is like from Nov-March? I'm asthmatic and need a place that's warm/dry most of the year. Are there any other cities/states you can recommend? Any info on LA, San Jose, Mountain View, Sunnyvale...?

Thanks for the help!

The warmest spots in the Bay area will be inland such as Concord,
Walnut Creek and Livermore. We have very very warm weather in
the summer and very very cold weather in the evenings Nov-Jan.
I'm a former native new yorker living in Walnut Creek and the weather
is perfect and I too have problems with asthma. But this is paradise, albeit
very expensive. Good Luck!

[wilkermoo]

CA weather is nothing like the weather in Chicago. I am from the San Francisco Bay Area and can give you my opinion on the weather. If you head East of San Francisco you are going to find weather that is more dry and warm. San Francisco has nice weather, but it can be very foggy most of the year. Growing up in the Bay Area people would always say that you needed to take your coat when your heading into to S.F. because you never know if the weather will be cold any time of the year.

Towns like Walnut Creek, Pleasanton, San Ramon, Livermore, Dublin, Danville are all East of San Francisco and they are very nice areas with pretty mild weather. Summers get pretty warm. Winter never really feels that cold, my husband used to always complain that it felt wrong to be Christmas shopping when the temp was so warm.

Nov-March it can dip down into the 30's at night, most days the temp is around 50-60. That is nothing compared to Chicago winter.

Mountainview is similar weather to what I described above. The closer you get the San Francisco the cooler the temperatures can get.

[worktolive]

Originally Posted by chicagoresident

Hello,

I'm looking to make a move from chicago and was wondering what the weather is like from Nov-March? I'm asthmatic and need a place that's warm/dry most of the year. Are there any other cities/states you can recommend? Any info on LA, San Jose, Mountain View, Sunnyvale...?

Thanks for the help!

If you are looking for warm/dry most of the year, you really should be looking in SoCal, AZ or southern NM. I love the weather in the Bay Area, but in the winter it is definitely wetter and colder than SoCal. As you go from south to north along the west coast it gets progressively wetter. SoCal gets approx. 6-10 in. of rain a year (not sure of the exact amount but it's pretty low), whereas the Bay Area gets around 25-35 in. and it goes up from there as you head toward Seattle. Also, in the west, all of our rain falls from Nov-April, then, in the summer, we are completely dry for 5 or 6 months. It's very different from the east and midwest where it rains all year around.

[Joe_Ryder]

California is a big state with widely varying climates. The area you are referring to is South Bay. From your perspective there is no such thing as winter there. Places like Truckee, in the mountains, regularly record temps and snowfall that makes the upper Midwest winters look like a walk in the park.

The Bay Area has many micro-climates. Oakland is generally much warmer and Drier than SF while San Jose is generally warmer yet. On any given day, particulalry in winter you can easily start your day baking and drive for 15 minutes only to be freezing your parts off. I live in Oakland. An hour ago it was pleasant and sunny at about 65 degrees now it's foggy and much cooler.

Pacifica is almost always cold and foggy. That can be a great relief in summer when it hasn't rained for months.

Because the winter temps are warmer, don't be fooled. Here it tends to be a very wet cold and that can actually feel a lot colder than you think. Always carry a coat because you never know.

Beaches: We got 'em. Before you go hop in the water, be forewarned...Water on the Pacific coast is cold. New England cold! You will see lots of people in wetsuits on a bright and sunny day. It's not a fashion statement. The best surfing is off of Santa Cruz. Monterey Bay is beautiful but the water there is consistently colder yet. This isn't the same stuff you'll find on the East Coast. I've laughed hard many times watching vacationers go running into the water in a pair of shorts only to break land speed records on the way out. Buy a wetsuit. Don't rent them unless you like the idea of wearing something 100 other people have already peed in! Avoid the water when the tide is going out. That's when the rivers are flushing all sorts of little fishies into the sea and all the big fishies come in to eat them. Those big fishies tend to be very big.

Get your sunning in before you go in the water. It is neither easy nor dignified trying to put on a wet wetsuit though it is quite entertaining to watch.

Enjoy your stay. Except for the water temp, it's a great place!

[Peninsula gal]

We have a damp cold and with asthma, you don't want to live in fog, so avoid San Francisco or the cities closest to it in San Mateo County. There is fog almost everywhere on the west coast but San Francisco has the most. Will it be cold as you know it? No way, but once you acclimate you'll feel it.

[Milliano]

Originally Posted by chicagoresident

Hello,

I'm looking to make a move from chicago and was wondering what the weather is like from Nov-March? I'm asthmatic and need a place that's warm/dry most of the year. Are there any other cities/states you can recommend? Any info on LA, San Jose, Mountain View, Sunnyvale...?

Thanks for the help!

It really depends what is causing your asthma. Is it the incredibly dirty, polluted Chicagoland air? Or the massive amounts of pollen and mold in the air in Chicagoland? Or the cold?
Moving to LA with asthma sounds crazy. You might end up hospitalized on occasion, the air quality is so terrible there.

[gizmo980]

My mother has very severe asthma, and that's one reason my parents chose to live in San Francisco. They had a choice of moving to L.A., Dallas, Chicago or NYC for my dad's job, back when I was 6 years old... they almost moved to L.A., until my mother had multiple attacks while house-shopping there. Then they visited SF, and my mother was able to breathe freely and comfortably - they bought a house that weekend. So if air quality is your main concern, I think this area would be suitable for you... it's never too hot or too cold, the fog wipes away much of the pollution, and we don't get that awful east-coast/southern humidity. Weather-wise, this is as close to "perfect" as you'll find.