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If I want warm summer days, I can easily hop on a flight and get my fix. And then spend the rest of the year with very comfortable temps.
No need to hop on a flight anywhere; just hop in your car or on to BART public transit about 40 miles inland if you only need afternoon warmth (places about an hour away get average highs near 90 in the summer months with many microclimates in between having highs in the upper 60s, 70s, and 80s). Only if you seek balmy nights or humidity/warm rain, you'd need to get on a plane (or drive a long, long time) for that.
Since I find too much diurnal range a bit annoying, I prefer a moderately humid 80/70 day in San Diego over a 95/55 day in Sacramento
Last edited by ABrandNewWorld; 02-08-2016 at 11:03 PM..
I wouldn't say FAR less humid, but the South gets sticky and unbearable because the air just sits there and it feels like a swamp outside no matter where you are. Honolulu has the trade winds which make it so comfortable. Really nowhere in the US that I know of has that feature. Someone mentioned Key West, and I've heard that, especially in the blocks closest to the beach, Miami Beach and other coastal Atlantic beaches in FL have that feature as well. I've heard from many people that some of the high rises in Miami Beach get such great cross ventilation, that A/C sometimes isn't even needed some days. I'd still use it probably, and that's just what I've heard, but I can't imagine it being as great as Honolulu.
The thing about SF is that on those few warm, sunny days they get, everyone goes out to the parks (Dolores mostly) and Ocean Beach to picnic and sunbathe and drink. But if they love those days so much and love the sun and warm weather, why not just move somewhere where you can get that weather much more often?
The only places that have that weather more often is in California. The South doesnt match that even Louisville! The only time of year the south has days like that are a few weeks in fall.
The only places that have that weather more often is in California. The South doesnt match that even Louisville! The only time of year the south has days like that are a few weeks in fall.
Exactly my point People in SF always hate on LA, but deep down inside, they love a lot of the things that make LA great. One big thing is the weather. People in SF get excited about 75 and sunny. Coastal LA is 75 and sunny almost year round.
But anyone comparing tropical humidity in the middle of the ocean to stagnant swamp fumes in the south has not experienced both. Hawaiian air can be thick to breathe when you first arrive, but it's never uncomfortable because of the breeze.
But anyone comparing tropical humidity in the middle of the ocean to stagnant swamp fumes in the south has not experienced both. Hawaiian air can be thick to breathe when you first arrive, but it's never uncomfortable because of the breeze.
The humid weather in the rest of the country makes for awesome summer nights. It does get to 105 in summer in most of the rest of the country, but unlike CA, most other cities have A/C in every building. That's the reason 105 in CA can get so miserable.
Louisville isn't the best example, but there was only a single night last summer was truly unbearably hot. It was still 91 and humid at 11pm and my A/C wasn't working well enough because it had been 104 that day and no thunderstorms came through to cool off the city. I ended up having to go to a bar to cool down. When I left at 2am, it had only dropped to 82 and the humidity was miserable. But besides that, every night went down to a comfortable mid 60s-mid 70s. It's amazing being able to sit outside at midnight and be comfortable. Those are the average lows year round in Honolulu. While I do actually enjoy the colder temperatures in winter, the warm summer nights are one of the best things about not living in CA. I was in SD this summer a few night and it did happen there which was awesome. Only problem is most of coastal CA doesn't have A/C. But Honolulu does A/C. The days are never oppressively hot with the record high being only 95. The trade winds always help cool the city down in the afternoon. The nights are always warm enough to walk around comfortably in shorts and a t shirt, have a few drinks outside, go for a swim, etc.
That was the downside of warm, humid summer nights in San Diego, it was very hard to sleep b/c I never lived in a place that had AC. Our windows didn't support an AC unit either or I would have gotten one.
That was the downside of warm, humid summer nights in San Diego, it was very hard to sleep b/c I never lived in a place that had AC. Our windows didn't support an AC unit either or I would have gotten one.
While I love warm temperatures and the humid nights for being at the pool during the day and out at patio bars at night, it's miserable to sleep in without A/C. This past summer there was one night that for some reason, a pocket of heat/humidity was just stuck over Venice/MDR/PDR/Mar Vista and it stayed 78 with a heat index of 82 until midnight. It was miserable and I didn't sleep at all that night. There was a similar night when I went to stay with a friend in SD. It was great going out at night, but her apartment in North Park was stifling. Luckily she had a wall unit in the living room where I slept. But when you live in a city that has excellent A/C in all its buildings (like most places in the south and Hawaii) it's much more enjoyable.
Conversely, a lot of places in SF don't have great heating systems. While living there, I used a space heater. I believe it was November 2013 before Thanksgiving. I woke up early for my flight to go home and it was 29 outside. My space heater had been on for several hours before I went to bed and throughout my sleep. But the older buildings there are often very poorly insulated, and tbh, we were afraid to use our central heating system because the vents were so dirty. It was only for one year and we avoided our landlord as much as possible since she was annoying so we didn't complain, but we were honestly afraid that using the central heating system would have burned down the building.
Then during the heatwaves when SF gets into the 70s, 80s, or 90s, not a single damn place in the city has A/C haha. That same year during spring semester finals was a heatwave going into the mid 80s. My roommate and I took turns saving a table in the Starbucks around the corner since it was the only place with A/C. Our old flat obviously didn't, and none of the buildings at the USF campus do either. I remember my move-in weekend there in August 2010 it was 94 degrees. Obviously no A/C there either.
I live in inland Orange County so I have AC at my house. As for those who live near the beach and don't have AC: many loved the warmer than normal SST over the last two summers because they could enjoy the ocean a lot more but they felt they paid the price with sleepless nights. I do know of several people who got AC installed last summer for that reason.
I thought SF used their heating systems in summer because the daytime highs don't leave the 50s most days at the coast. I usually run my heater on days when highs don't reach 60 (which happens now and then during winter rainy days). Other times if they lows are in the mid 40s and the highs are in the mid 60s, I just turn it on the the morning.
I live in inland Orange County so I have AC at my house. As for those who live near the beach and don't have AC: many loved the warmer than normal SST over the last two summers because they could enjoy the ocean a lot more but they felt they paid the price with sleepless nights. I do know of several people who got AC installed last summer for that reason.
I thought SF used their heating systems in summer because the daytime highs don't leave the 50s most days at the coast. I usually run my heater on days when highs don't reach 60 (which happens now and then during winter rainy days). Other times if they lows are in the mid 40s and the highs are in the mid 60s, I just turn it on the the morning.
Not true. There are no summer months where the highs are in the 50s. June thru October the average high is between 66-70 degrees. Plus people who live there are accustomed to cooler overall temps.
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People in SF always hate on LA, but deep down inside, they love a lot of the things that make LA great. One big thing is the weather. People in SF get excited about 75 and sunny. Coastal LA is 75 and sunny almost year round.
