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Old 10-21-2012, 01:01 AM
 
Location: SoCal
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Would you guys say that California which isn't very big has some of the workd's most unique climate, geography and natural scenery?

I've travelled around the world and California is the only place which had its own unique climate.. Nothing like it.

Has all the extreme diversity in a near proximate area created such unique climate? Example the California Current?..
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Old 10-21-2012, 02:31 AM
 
Location: Front Range of Colorado
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Quote:
Originally Posted by yowps3 View Post
Would you guys say that California which isn't very big has some of the workd's most unique climate, geography and natural scenery?

I've travelled around the world and California is the only place which had its own unique climate.. Nothing like it.

Has all the extreme diversity in a near proximate area created such unique climate? Example the California Current?..
Anyone who has driven across California will attest to that. The combination of rapidly changing terrain and the ocean influences make for a lot of interesting changes within a drive. My last trip to LA, the temperatures were torrid, but it can be quite comfortable near the coast if conditions are right.
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Old 10-21-2012, 03:11 AM
 
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There are places in the Mediterranean that have similar climates. California is classified as a Mediterranean Climate. The Alaskan current brings down cold waters along the coast. This helps keep most of the beach and inland areas to about 5-10 miles fairly temperate. Most of the rest of Southern California is desert for the lack of rain less then 10 inches per year. Northern California gets more rain from the storm fronts that come in from the northern pacific and thus has more vegetation and forests. Mountains in the Sierras trap moisture in both rain and snow from these storms for forest growth.
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Old 10-21-2012, 04:46 AM
 
Location: North West Northern Ireland.
20,633 posts, read 23,871,459 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by yowps3 View Post
Would you guys say that California which isn't very big has some of the workd's most unique climate, geography and natural scenery?

I've travelled around the world and California is the only place which had its own unique climate.. Nothing like it.

Has all the extreme diversity in a near proximate area created such unique climate? Example the California Current?..
It dosn't really have a unique climate. I mean alot of places with Mediterranean climates have high mountains with snow on them. The actual snowline in California is very high.
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Old 10-21-2012, 05:38 AM
 
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No, California's climate is not unique. The Central Valley is very similar to inland Spain (semi-arid with summer temps into the 100s), Spain also has the mountain Mulhacén which is 11,413 feet in elevation that is snow capped. It's in a semi-arid Mediterranean area and the coastal side of the mountain range is desert (coastal Almería province). Perth, Australia also has a hot semi-arid Mediterranean climate. What does make California unique, however, is that it's one of the few cold water Mediterranean climates in the world (the other is Santiago, Chile and its nearby city Valparaíso, Chile).

The geography is also not unique. There's only one other place in the world that shares the same climate and geographical pattern of California and that's Región V Valparaíso and Región Metropolitana de Santiago. Both are in Chile and border each other. They are both the same latitude as Los Angeles, both have a narrow coastal plain that's flanked by coastal mountain ranges and both have inland mountain ranges reaching over 10,000 feet in elevation. In Valparaíso, just like in coastal San Diego and Los Angeles, the summers are cooled by the cold coastal water and the temps are in the 70s and 80s while the inland cities like Bakersfield and Santiago bake in ~100°F temperatures and they are only about 20 miles east of the coastline. Mediterranean climates are also found in, of course, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Greece, with Spain being most similar to California and south-central (Adelaide) and southwestern (Perth) Australia also has a Mediterranean climate.

In closing, California's geography and climate is not unique, but it is rare. Chile is the only other place which has almost the same setup as California and that's only because both places are located at the same latitudes and both border major fault lines in the eastern Pacific.
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Old 10-21-2012, 05:14 PM
 
637 posts, read 1,026,522 times
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Originally Posted by theunbrainwashed View Post
No, California's climate is not unique. The Central Valley is very similar to inland Spain (semi-arid with summer temps into the 100s), Spain also has the mountain Mulhacén which is 11,413 feet in elevation that is snow capped. It's in a semi-arid Mediterranean area and the coastal side of the mountain range is desert (coastal Almería province). Perth, Australia also has a hot semi-arid Mediterranean climate. What does make California unique, however, is that it's one of the few cold water Mediterranean climates in the world (the other is Santiago, Chile and its nearby city Valparaíso, Chile).

The geography is also not unique. There's only one other place in the world that shares the same climate and geographical pattern of California and that's Región V Valparaíso and Región Metropolitana de Santiago. Both are in Chile and border each other. They are both the same latitude as Los Angeles, both have a narrow coastal plain that's flanked by coastal mountain ranges and both have inland mountain ranges reaching over 10,000 feet in elevation. In Valparaíso, just like in coastal San Diego and Los Angeles, the summers are cooled by the cold coastal water and the temps are in the 70s and 80s while the inland cities like Bakersfield and Santiago bake in ~100°F temperatures and they are only about 20 miles east of the coastline. Mediterranean climates are also found in, of course, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Greece, with Spain being most similar to California and south-central (Adelaide) and southwestern (Perth) Australia also has a Mediterranean climate.

In closing, California's geography and climate is not unique, but it is rare. Chile is the only other place which has almost the same setup as California and that's only because both places are located at the same latitudes and both border major fault lines in the eastern Pacific.
Don't forget South Africa, Cape Town area, with cold coastal water like CA, I think
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Old 10-21-2012, 08:12 PM
 
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Originally Posted by burloak View Post
Don't forget South Africa, Cape Town area, with cold coastal water like CA, I think
Yes, the Benguela Current. But, it is like Adelaide and Perth, no microclimates; which is not the case for California and Chile which have microclimates thanks to the topography.
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Old 10-22-2012, 12:18 AM
 
Location: SoCal
1,528 posts, read 4,231,762 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by theunbrainwashed View Post
No, California's climate is not unique. The Central Valley is very similar to inland Spain (semi-arid with summer temps into the 100s), Spain also has the mountain Mulhacén which is 11,413 feet in elevation that is snow capped. It's in a semi-arid Mediterranean area and the coastal side of the mountain range is desert (coastal Almería province). Perth, Australia also has a hot semi-arid Mediterranean climate. What does make California unique, however, is that it's one of the few cold water Mediterranean climates in the world (the other is Santiago, Chile and its nearby city Valparaíso, Chile).

The geography is also not unique. There's only one other place in the world that shares the same climate and geographical pattern of California and that's Región V Valparaíso and Región Metropolitana de Santiago. Both are in Chile and border each other. They are both the same latitude as Los Angeles, both have a narrow coastal plain that's flanked by coastal mountain ranges and both have inland mountain ranges reaching over 10,000 feet in elevation. In Valparaíso, just like in coastal San Diego and Los Angeles, the summers are cooled by the cold coastal water and the temps are in the 70s and 80s while the inland cities like Bakersfield and Santiago bake in ~100°F temperatures and they are only about 20 miles east of the coastline. Mediterranean climates are also found in, of course, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Greece, with Spain being most similar to California and south-central (Adelaide) and southwestern (Perth) Australia also has a Mediterranean climate.

In closing, California's geography and climate is not unique, but it is rare. Chile is the only other place which has almost the same setup as California and that's only because both places are located at the same latitudes and both border major fault lines in the eastern Pacific.
Nice summary. Having been to Southen Europe, though not Spain. I really wouldn't say it's the same as Southen California.

Greece in summer is much hotter than coastal areas of say Los Angeles. In fact in California it's not uncommon to wake up to cloud/overcast & foggy weather in summer which clears up by midday.

I guess a combination of Mountains, desert, forest, ocean, California current & the general topography in such a compact area is the reason for the the way it is. Aesthetically speaking California is spectacular.. An I'm just talking about the southern point of Caliornia to San Francisco. Don't know what there's further from SF lol
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Old 10-22-2012, 01:57 PM
 
Location: Singapore
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Quote:
Originally Posted by yowps3 View Post
Nice summary. Having been to Southen Europe, though not Spain. I really wouldn't say it's the same as Southen California.

Greece in summer is much hotter than coastal areas of say Los Angeles. In fact in California it's not uncommon to wake up to cloud/overcast & foggy weather in summer which clears up by midday.

I guess a combination of Mountains, desert, forest, ocean, California current & the general topography in such a compact area is the reason for the the way it is. Aesthetically speaking California is spectacular.. An I'm just talking about the southern point of Caliornia to San Francisco. Don't know what there's further from SF lol
The forest moon of Endor.
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Old 10-22-2012, 06:39 PM
 
Location: Dalby, Queensland
473 posts, read 666,928 times
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Originally Posted by theunbrainwashed View Post
Perth, Australia also has a hot semi-arid Mediterranean climate.
Perth is hardly semi-arid, even though rainfall has been getting lower in recent years. The average rainfall is still above 700mm.
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