Why doesn't California ever get more extreme weather like everywhere else? (Los Angeles: earthquakes, to live)

[destroycreate]

I've noticed that CA, despite many of the cities (SF and the northern coast) being on the same latitude as Mid-Atlantic/Northeastern cities has always the most constant weather.

There's never been a shock blizzard in the Bay Area with a meter of snow like there can be in parts of Northern Florida (a state which is on average much warmer than California) or Southern California never experiences intense rains for weeks and weeks at a time.

I mean hell, it's been an entire month since a substantial drop of rain fell in San Diego for example and this is the so-called "rainy season"!

So I'm just curious as to why the weather never gets more freaky here in California. Everywhere else in the world seems to be subjected to extremes here and there, maybe even once in 10 years, but it seems as though nothing out of the world or rare happens in the State. In that sense, I wish our weather was a bit more exciting.

[Count David]

Climate of California - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

CLIMATE OF CALIFORNIA

The Pacific Ocean, physical geography, and the jet stream likely have a lot to do with it.

If CA weather was more exciting, a lot of people wouldn't want to live there. There are plenty of places around the nation that have the exciting weather you seek.

[roxiemack]

because it gets earthquakes

[Fontucky]

Originally Posted by roxiemack

because it gets earthquakes

And hellacious, asskicking Santa Ana/Diablo/katabatic winds...

[Shadow Dude]

Originally Posted by Fontucky

And hellacious, asskicking Santa Ana winds...

But those are only down south though.

[Fontucky]

I included the North with the Diablo mention. I'm nothing if not fair and balanced towards my Northern brethren.

[Fiddlehead]

California can get some of the heaviest rainfall events in the whole US, just not very often.

[Shadow Dude]

California gets about all kinds of weather, just it is so big compared to the other U.S. states, and certain weather events only occur in certain parts of the state, The northern part gets snow and perhaps some blizzard like conditions and low temps, the southern part gets hot temperatures and the desert gets 120 degree days in the summer, tornados have touched down before, we get left over pacific hurricanes from time to time, earthquakes of course but they aren't a weather event, the desert can get serious T-storms and flooding, the coast gets landslides, lightning also occurs, California gets just about every natural event imaginable just they dont cover the entire state like everywhere else because it goes from forests to beaches and coastline to farms and grass to deserts.

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by Shadow Dude

California gets about all kinds of weather, just it is so big compared to the other U.S. states, and certain weather events only occur in certain parts of the state, The northern part gets snow and perhaps some blizzard like conditions and low temps, the southern part gets hot temperatures and the desert gets 120 degree days in the summer, tornados have touched down before, we get left over pacific hurricanes from time to time, earthquakes of course but they aren't a weather event, the desert can get serious T-storms and flooding, the coast gets landslides, lightning also occurs, California gets just about every natural event imaginable just they dont cover the entire state like everywhere else because it goes from forests to beaches and coastline to farms and grass to deserts.

I agree. California is a complex place. Just here in San Diego County and in Los Angeles County there is a lot of topography so there can be lots of different weather. Take SD county; one day years ago in the winter, it was sunny along the coast, foggy in inland north county and snowed on Mt. Laguna and had wicked winds in the deserts.

When people think of "California weather", they usually think of the coastal areas; LA SD and SF. There's much more to Ca. weather than that.

[Tnt-User]

Your half right. California has many different weather regions. However they usualy stay that way. for example here 90 degree days and 30 degree nights. I go 4 hours east and it's 126 degrees and 80 degree nights! Ever went to Death Valley? Now go to Big Bear. Both completely different but they both stay that way.