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San Francisco Bay Area's climate is unique in that it gets cooler weather than that of the inland valleys and that it is Subtropical, with 8 months averaging above 50 degrees Fahrenheit. The climate is fairly wet/dry, with 23 inches of rain coming in on San Francisco proper. It is full of micro-climates. The higher hills and mountains can be very cool and dry while some of the ridges can be filled with cool lush forests full of redwood and pine. South of the Coastal Mountain ranges, the weather can get pretty hot. Tropical plants, such as Eucalyptus, Citrus, and Palms can grow there, thus the subtropical definition. It doesn't have to be hot or humid to be Subtropical, just the definition above (and being between 23.5 N and 45 N). Therefore, in summary, the San Francisco Area is Csb (Warm-Summer Subtropical or Oceanic Mediterranean Climate) similar to the climates of Lisbon, Portugal, Santiago, Chile, and Cape Town, South Africa. However, if you were talking about the TAMPA BAY area, that area is Truly Cfa (HUMID Subtropical) with parts of the area being FULL-BLOWN-Tropical (Aw).
The coastal areas are definitely very temperate, oceanic, and somewhat comparable to Seattle, albeit with warmer winters and more sunshine. However, once you head inland to areas like the east bay and even parts of San Jose, it is undoubtedly warm enough in the summer to be considered subtropical - just with dry summers. And remember, these inland parts of the bay area are literally classified as CSA - subtropical climates with a summer drought/dry season.
The bay area has a different kind of mediterranean climate I'd say. This is much milder and temperate than most european typical mediterranean climates (cooler in summer, warmer in winter, less intense precipitation episodes during the fall)
I'd really like to experience it.
I can't call it subtropical since the summers are oceanic at best and I think of subtropical climates are temperate climates with really warm (and often quite humid) summers.
South of the Coastal Mountain ranges, the weather can get pretty hot. Tropical plants, such as Eucalyptus, Citrus, and Palms can grow there, thus the subtropical definition.
Eucalyptus and citrus by themselves don't prove a subtropical climate, just a mild winter climate.
I can't call it subtropical since the summers are oceanic at best and I think of subtropical climates are temperate climates with really warm (and often quite humid) summers.
The bay area is just an extreme example of moderation due to proximity to the ocean -even oceanic climates don't have that degree of summer moderation.
The bay area is just an extreme example of moderation due to proximity to the ocean -even oceanic climates don't have that degree of summer moderation.
In no other way, is the Bay Area summer Oceanic.
I'd call the coast oceanic and inland communities subtropical Mediterranean.
The coast is quite cold and foggy in summer with highs in the low 60s but some inland communities in the Bay Area proper get average highs in the low 90s. Winters are very overcast and drizzly throughout the Bay Area with highs in the 50s.
Our Southern California climate is much more subtropical from coast to inland due to warmer temperatures and much higher sun in winter. L.A. area gets sun and crystal clear visibility with perfect air quality after a winter rain front goes through rather than that miserable thule fog and prepetual overcast.
I'd call the coast oceanic and inland communities subtropical Mediterranean.
The coast is quite cold and foggy in summer with highs in the low 60s but some inland communities in the Bay Area proper get average highs in the low 90s. Winters are very overcast and drizzly throughout the Bay Area with highs in the 50s.
Our Southern California climate is much more subtropical from coast to inland due to warmer temperatures and much higher sun in winter. L.A. area gets sun and crystal clear visibility with perfect air quality after a winter rain front goes through rather than that miserable thule fog and prepetual overcast.
There is nothing about the coast that is Oceanic. It's just a cool summer Mediterranean climate.
Oceanic winters aren't specifically overcast and drizzly, and are typically warm for their latitude, so trying to describe the Bay Area's winters as Oceanic, isn't correct.
Temperate
It's a cool-summer Mediterranean climate, like the western Portuguese coast, the best climates in the world.
If you prefer a bit more summer heat and a bit colder winters, you can always go a few kilometers inland, same as here.
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