Where's the southernmost spot that's still humid, rainy, snowy, cold, forested etc? (Los Angeles: land, station)

[Italian (x)lurker]

Hi, we know that, as a general rule, the further south you go the drier and warmer is the climate, the sunnier is the weather and the more arid is the land but there are always exceptions.

I'd like to know wich is the southermost stretch of land in California (say for instance 5-10 miles, not just the isolated peak of a mountain...) that despite its lower latitude show a green vegetation if not real forests, is cold in the winter and experiences rain/snow.

[bentobox34]

Originally Posted by Italian (x)lurker

Hi, we know that, as a general rule, the further south you go the drier and warmer is the climate, the sunnier is the weather and the more arid is the land but there are always exceptions.

I'd like to know wich is the southermost stretch of land in California (say for instance 5-10 miles, not just the isolated peak of a mountain...) that despite its lower latitude show a green vegetation if not real forests, is cold in the winter and experiences rain/snow.

Look at the blue/green fingers on this map.

For forested, cold and rainy winters I would say the southernmost area is the southern Big Sur area near Gorda. However, coastal areas do not see snow in the winter. To add snow to the mix, go to the Seqoia National Forest near Hwy 178, northeast of Bakersfield. The Angeles National Forest (north and east of Los Angeles) also sees regular winter snow, although I'm not sure if you'd classify that as "the isolated peak of a mountain" - it's definitely spread over several mountain peaks for more than 5-10 miles.

By the way almost no areas in California are humid by eastern standards.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Around Julian is more than a peak. Mixed Oak - Pine, enough precip to not be considered arid and snow most winters. The most amazing thing about it is, drive a hour east and you would not believe such a place would be so near by.

[BeauCharles]

Originally Posted by BayAreaHillbilly

Around Julian is more than a peak. Mixed Oak - Pine, enough precip to not be considered arid and snow most winters. The most amazing thing about it is, drive a hour east and you would not believe such a place would be so near by.

Didn't really know anything about it - just Googled it and the images are pretty interesting. Its looks like a little Gold Rush town in the Sierra and as high in elevation as Yosemite Valley. Hard to believe its just east of San Diego.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Originally Posted by BeauCharles

Didn't really know anything about it - just Googled it and the images are pretty interesting. Its looks like a little Gold Rush town in the Sierra and as high in elevation as Yosemite Valley. Hard to believe its just east of San Diego.

Another strange thing ... there is a Doug Fir subspecies that only exists in SoCal. SoCal must have been a wild and otherwordly place a mere 10 or 12K years ago. Many relics of the Pleistocene up in the mountains.

[Count David]

Originally Posted by BayAreaHillbilly

Around Julian is more than a peak. Mixed Oak - Pine, enough precip to not be considered arid and snow most winters. The most amazing thing about it is, drive a hour east and you would not believe such a place would be so near by.

You can even go a little more south than there:

Sierra de San Pedro Mártir - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[lae60]

Look at the forest areas on maps of southern CA. They are at a higher elevation and will have snow. Cleveland is the most southern, but San Bernardino Forest also has snow. There are numerous small tons around the forests.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Originally Posted by David Aguilar

You can even go a little more south than there:

Sierra de San Pedro Mártir - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Good point. That is some nice country. I love Baja.

[MarciaMarshaMarcia]

Palomar Mountain area in San Diego County was once extremely lush...incense cedars, native oaks, ferns. It used to receive quite a bit of rain & it snowed every winter. Unfortunately, drought, fire & bark beetle infestation destroyed many trees...but it's still very forested, under the circumstances.

[Robertfchew]

Julian in san diego county would be my best guess.