Help me to understand California weather (San Francisco, San Luis Obispo: condo, home, employment)

[EckyX]

Hi all,

I'd like to better understand California weather. My understanding is that the coasts are very much moderated by the ocean with mostly stable temperatures year-round and some humidity, that inland there's a lot more variation (mostly hotter) but that it's quite dry, and that in the mountains there's more precipitation, seasonality, and lower temperatures. What I'm unsure about is where the cloudiness the Pacific Northwest experiences starts and what months it covers at various locations.

The reason I'm asking is that my partner has some chronic health issues which are affected strongly by heat, and to a lesser extent by extreme cold. For instance, anything above maybe 78F and she's kept indoors, and 85 can risk hospitalization if she's out for extended periods. She grew up in Michigan and can handle snow pretty well, but she risks nerve damage if she has to be outside for extended periods in the worst parts of winter.

She does alright in Burlington. Average high in July is ~78, but this year averaged 7 degrees higher than normal and I'm thinking some place moderated by the ocean might not have as much variation in the summer. Shorter and easier winters would be a plus - in December the sun sets around 4pm, and we might have 4-6 weeks where the high temperature is not above 0F, with a few extreme nights hitting -40 away from the lake. It's not the sort of place she'll be able to retire to years down the road so I'm just reading about weather elsewhere.

My understanding is that San Francisco has very comfortable weather year-round, with few days hitting 80, and winters that wouldn't keep us inside as much. San Fran is extremely expensive though. I have the impression that going farther north reduces housing costs a lot and would still have comfortable weather (let's say between freezing and 75).

I notice Eureka has more sun per year than Burlington and much more moderate weather, and it got me to thinking about the monsoon weather in that region - how far south and inland does it reach? Where does sunlight start to drop off? How far inland can you go before summers start to get hot? What's the weather like in the mountains?

[Ruth4Truth]

Interesting questions. First of all, even if you live in the fog belt of the coast, where it normally stays cool, Septembers traditionally are hot. Secondly, with climate change, heat waves are becoming more common. So no matter where you locate, you'd have to get A/C for the hot days for your gf.

You don't mention your employment needs. That would be an important determinant of your options, unless both of you are bringing your jobs with you. If you're bringing your jobs with you, you'll have to look for areas where housing costs fit your budget. Outside of the Bay Area, you could look along the small towns of the Central Coast: Cambria, Morrow Bay, Pismo Beach, San Luis Obispo (inland). The north Coast is rainier (which I regard as a good thing, in these days of drought threat), a bit colder in winter, cool in the summer, with the occasional heat spike (80's).

People say Eureka and elsewhere in the Humboldt Bay Area are run-down, have drug issues, etc., but more people are moving up there, for the relative affordability, the cool weather, the beautiful natural surroundings. Some consider it a potential retirement spot, if one's location is carefully chosen. There's a CC and a state university up there, which are nice amenities. You should visit and spend a week in the area, checking out different towns, before you move, if you're considering it. Late fall and winter can be a lot of gray days, and strong winds blow in from the ocean.

Weather gets hot not very far inland at all. For example, in the Bay Area, the other side of the East Bay hills is hot all summer. The cool weather is a narrow strip hugging the coast. The mountains, while cooler than the "inner" East Bay (for example) get into the 80's in the summer. I have no idea if they've been having heat waves late spring through fall, like some coastal areas have, the last few years.

Another area that could work for you is Western Washington. There are small towns that are more affordable, and only get a few days of light snow per year, if any at all. Look on the Olympic Peninsula (Sequim, Port Angeles, Port Townsend). They're in the Olympic Mountains rain shadow, so they don't get the volume of rain that other locations around Puget Sound get. If you don't mind more rain, you can look outside of Olympia. There are small towns with very cheap housing, like Shelton, that are starting to bounce back after a decline brought about by a shift away from an economy based on logging and/or fishing, early in the last century. Some are now becoming commuter towns for people who work in Olympia.

These suggestions assume, though, that you won't need local jobs. Also, if your partner has special medical needs, you probably would need to be less isolated, so the Olympic Peninsula might be out.

[EckyX]

Appreciated!

We're aiming for early retirement (high savings rate, low living expenses), so although we'll probably continue with side gigs, we won't really need jobs to get by. She does need some access to medical facilities, which Burlington, at ~40,000 people, actually has quite a bit of. There's a fantastic regional research hospital here.

Cool summers are definitely more important than milder winters, but both would be nice. We already deal with and sometimes even enjoy 5 months of snow and extreme cold. I'm aware these sorts of places tend to be more expensive, but we're willing (and happy) to live in areas that might be cooler than most want.

My understanding was that inland Washington actually gets quite hot during summer, often into the 90's, and that you really need to hug the coast there too. Is this perhaps not the case?

[nightlysparrow]

Second Eureka/Humboldt County. There, 75 degrees in summer is a heatwave.

[saibot]

Originally Posted by EckyX

My understanding was that inland Washington actually gets quite hot during summer, often into the 90's, and that you really need to hug the coast there too. Is this perhaps not the case?

It's absolutely true. Once you cross the Cascades, summers are very hot. My father lives in Wenatchee, about 100 miles as the crow flies from Seattle, but over the mountains. When I visited him in July, it was in the upper 90s-low 100s every day, hotter than at home in California.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by EckyX

Appreciated!

We're aiming for early retirement (high savings rate, low living expenses), so although we'll probably continue with side gigs, we won't really need jobs to get by. She does need some access to medical facilities, which Burlington, at ~40,000 people, actually has quite a bit of. There's a fantastic regional research hospital here.

Cool summers are definitely more important than milder winters, but both would be nice. We already deal with and sometimes even enjoy 5 months of snow and extreme cold. I'm aware these sorts of places tend to be more expensive, but we're willing (and happy) to live in areas that might be cooler than most want.

My understanding was that inland Washington actually gets quite hot during summer, often into the 90's, and that you really need to hug the coast there too. Is this perhaps not the case?

I don't know what you mean by "inland Washington". Inland from what? The ocean? Puget Sound? Do you mean--Eastern WA? Puget Sound is far inland from the coast, but its presence keeps temps cooler. Sequim, Pt Angeles and Port Townsend are located on the Straight of Juan de Fuca, across from Vancouver Island, so in that sense, they're coastal. The locations I was posting about are all in Western WA, all on or near large bodies of salt water. I wasn't suggesting Eastern WA.

It sounds like you need to take a good look at a map of Western WA.
http://www.washington-map.info/washi...washington.htm
http://www.bentler.us/western-washin...s/default.aspx

[EckyX]

Thanks, you're right and I do. I'm pretty unfamiliar with Washington's geography, other than perhaps that it's divided by the Cascades.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by EckyX

Thanks, you're right and I do. I'm pretty unfamiliar with Washington's geography, other than perhaps that it's divided by the Cascades.

Well, if it's moderate weather you're looking for, and better affordability than what CA has to offer, some of those small towns around the Sound and on the Strait would be an option for you. The Humboldt area, too. Those are all rainy areas, except the towns in the Olympic rain shadow. They do get rain, but less than elsewhere. They still get cloudy, but that's ok.

[msgsing]

Coastal zone. Three miles inland. It's getting hotter here. Call it climate change or whatever. We just had the longest span of daily temps in the 80's on record. Off shore water temps this summer highest on record. And it's getting more humid.


Concurrently the local electric company has continuously raised rates. In the summer it's typical for a modest single family home or condo using central air con to have bills in the 700 per month range. We use ceiling and floor fans.


A lot of people are shutting down central air con and just buying a window unit for the bedroom rather than cool the entire home. When I first came here 10 years ago typical summer temps were in the high 70's with rare short higher temps. No more.

[Cloudy Dayz]

Originally Posted by EckyX

Hi all,

I'd like to better understand California weather. My understanding is that the coasts are very much moderated by the ocean with mostly stable temperatures year-round and some humidity, that inland there's a lot more variation (mostly hotter) but that it's quite dry, and that in the mountains there's more precipitation, seasonality, and lower temperatures. What I'm unsure about is where the cloudiness the Pacific Northwest experiences starts and what months it covers at various locations.

The reason I'm asking is that my partner has some chronic health issues which are affected strongly by heat, and to a lesser extent by extreme cold. For instance, anything above maybe 78F and she's kept indoors, and 85 can risk hospitalization if she's out for extended periods. She grew up in Michigan and can handle snow pretty well, but she risks nerve damage if she has to be outside for extended periods in the worst parts of winter.

She does alright in Burlington. Average high in July is ~78, but this year averaged 7 degrees higher than normal and I'm thinking some place moderated by the ocean might not have as much variation in the summer. Shorter and easier winters would be a plus - in December the sun sets around 4pm, and we might have 4-6 weeks where the high temperature is not above 0F, with a few extreme nights hitting -40 away from the lake. It's not the sort of place she'll be able to retire to years down the road so I'm just reading about weather elsewhere.

My understanding is that San Francisco has very comfortable weather year-round, with few days hitting 80, and winters that wouldn't keep us inside as much. San Fran is extremely expensive though. I have the impression that going farther north reduces housing costs a lot and would still have comfortable weather (let's say between freezing and 75).

I notice Eureka has more sun per year than Burlington and much more moderate weather, and it got me to thinking about the monsoon weather in that region - how far south and inland does it reach? Where does sunlight start to drop off? How far inland can you go before summers start to get hot? What's the weather like in the mountains?

I live on the Oregon Coast and have lived in the SF Bay Area. First to answer your question about cloudiness in the Pacific Northwest. It has just recently gotten cloudy, and will probably stay mostly cloudy until sometime in April. If having mostly cloudy weather for eight months out of the year is a problem for you the PNW is not the right place for you. Personally I think it's great. The only thing I can see the sun is good for, is getting sun burns and skin cancer. But some people just can't deal with the cloudy weather.

Now for San Francisco. Honestly I think even SF would be too warm for her. It's true that some parts of SF stay cool year round, but only if you are right next to the water. Even then the temperature in SF sometimes gets as high as 100°F. If you are even a few miles inland, 90°F and even 100°F temperatures are not uncommon in the summer. The fall, winter, and spring weather in the Bay Area is great, but the summers are hot. Not as hot as many places, but still hot.

Maybe you should look for some place in the Pacific Northwest, even Washington state.