Do we underestimate and downplay how Great Sacramento weather really is? (Santa Rosa: travel, prediction)

[nowhereman427]

[mixxalot]

Sacramento has the worst crappy weather in most of California.

[Chimérique]

Sacramento has the BEST weather in most of California, in my opinion, because it offers the most distinction between the seasons, and if you don't agree, then Sacramento certainly has the BEST weather in most of the Nation.

For the last 6 months, Sacramento has been near identical to San Francisco weather, we always forget that when Sac is enjoying full sun and awesome pool weather in the summer, and a SF summer is a repeat of what you have now minus the rain.

March 8, 2019
Rain/Snow to Date in Inches: 2018/19 Season

Redding: 30.58 - Sacramento Valley
Sacramento: 20.24 - Sacramento Valley

San Francisco: 19.09
Los Angeles: 17.99
San Diego: 10.82

Most people don't know that the Sacramento Valley is in different Climate zone than the San Joaquin Valley; this winter is an example of why:
Fresno: 8.76 - San Joaquin Valley
Bakersfield: 5.75 - San Joaquin Valley

Sacramento/Tahoe Area Snow: 611 inches, that's almost SIX times over SoCal.
LA/Bear Big Area Snow: 128 inches

A Portland winter is wetter and colder than Sacramento, and Phoenix is by far hotter and dryer than Sacramento. San Diego weather is too DRY, boring/"perfect".

[tstieber]

Originally Posted by mixxalot

Sacramento has the worst crappy weather in most of California.

Worst weather in the state? I also think that's a pretty weird interpretation IMO. At 20 inches of average annual rainfall and 3600 hours of sunshine per year, it's one of the sunniest cities in the state (sunnier than LA or SD), with just the right amount of rain (more than semi-arid SoCal but far below national averages), without the blazing heat of Redding, Bakersfield, or Palm Springs, and without the constant overcast and chill of places like the North Coast (Eureka, Crescent City for example). I grew up in Walnut Creek, which is similar to Sac, and the weather is one of the things people always loved best about the area.

Are we having a crappy winter? Absolutely. But even in this crappy winter, Sacramento hasn't been worse than anywhere else in the state. So I don't get the notion that Sacramento is generally the worst place in the state. I would actually consider it a sweet spot. And I think the beautiful palm trees around the Capitol would agree that it's a fantastic climate. It's actually nearly identical to Jerusalem, Israel.

What exactly do you find so crappy about this classic, textbook type of Mediterranean climate, mixxalot?

[tstieber]

Originally Posted by Chimérique

Sacramento has the BEST weather in most of California, in my opinion, because it offers the most distinction between the seasons, and if you don't agree, then Sacramento certainly has the BEST weather in most of the Nation.

For the last 6 months, Sacramento has been near identical to San Francisco weather, we always forget that when Sac is enjoying full sun and awesome pool weather in the summer, and a SF summer is a repeat of what you have now minus the rain.

March 8, 2019
Rain/Snow to Date in Inches: 2018/19 Season

Redding: 30.58 - Sacramento Valley
Sacramento: 20.24 - Sacramento Valley

San Francisco: 19.09
Los Angeles: 17.99
San Diego: 10.82

Most people don't know that the Sacramento Valley is in different Climate zone than the San Joaquin Valley; this winter is an example of why:
Fresno: 8.76 - San Joaquin Valley
Bakersfield: 5.75 - San Joaquin Valley

Sacramento/Tahoe Area Snow: 611 inches, that's almost SIX times over SoCal.
LA/Bear Big Area Snow: 128 inches

A Portland winter is wetter and colder than Sacramento, and Phoenix is by far hotter and dryer than Sacramento. San Diego weather is too DRY, boring/"perfect".

I agree with you on this, Chim; Sacramento is not only in a good sweet spot by California standards (not too hot, not too cold, low humidity, high sunshine probabilities), and certainly by other states' measures, it's one of the best climates in the country. Although I have to disagree that San Diego is too boring or perfect by any stretch, and I'll tell you why. I do, however, definitely agree that it is generally too dry many years. This season, however, even with Lindbergh Field's seasonal total to date appearing relatively dry, most of SD county is close to the 17-18 inch totals that we're also seeing in LA and OC (Lindbergh Field, like San Jose in NorCal at 13.29, is an outlier rather than the norm for the region). We've had 13 days of measurable rain in February (not including cloudy and dry days), and 7 out of 8 of the first March days have already had measurable rain, plus loads of high temps in the 50s all winter (highly, highly unusual). We're expecting snow flurries in Julian again today. Just wanted to clarify that although 10.82 inches at Lindbergh sounds like we're not getting the same rain as the rest of the state, that it's not the case (as with San Jose looking dry). Another example of that is this current round bring about a half inch to most of the county but only 0.03 to Lindbergh. I know why the Santa Clara Valley is so dry (rain shadow), but I'm not entirely sure why Lindbergh is. I'm sure there is a geographical explanation, which I suspect has to do with topography (rain falls more where it's hillier).

Anyway, this year is not the norm for any of us, but I would say San Diego has far more weather variability than Sacramento in general. In the many years we've lived here, we've had quite a number of water spouts and funnel clouds in the area; we have years of persistent May Gray and June Gloom (May 2018 was in the low 60s and drizzly all month, much like SF in summer); we sometimes have oppressive late summer heat and humidity from monsoon, sometimes accompanied by thunderstorms and rain; our winters can be bone dry (like 3 inches of rain) or dreary, damp and chilly like this year (which means the landscape can be muddy and bright green like this year or so dry some years that it looks depressing and grey); I've had hail many times during winter storms; and winters and spring have extremely unpredictable temperatures, varying from frosty mornings to furnace hot heat -- I've seen 20s and 30s in winter all the way up to 100f at the Wild Animal Park in January. Sacramento, by comparison, doesn't deviate from its averages nearly as much. Winters average in the 30s and night and 50s in the day, and summers average in the upper 50s at night and low 90s during the day, and most of the time, it's pretty close to that. The Mediterranean climate type gives you a pretty reliable rainy season in winter and dry season in summer, like clockwork. San Diego is technically Mediterranean in most areas, although parts of the coast are already in the 'semi-arid' category that is a sort of hybrid of Mediterranean and coastal desert. Sacramento, by comparison, is squarely in the Mediterranean climate type and not bordering another climate. With San Diego being on the cusp of climate zones, this is why we have wider swings and elements of both climate types. It's also why we get summer monsoons some years and not others, or good rainy seasons some years and not others. It's definitely an interesting climate to me, not totally different from how I grew up but with "more" to offer. But IMO, the idea of it being 'perfect' is a myth based on it sometimes being perfect. We're now into our fourth month of damp and chilly, with perhaps three or four warm days out of the last 100-120 days. It ain't Honolulu, and I'm glad it's not. I like some variation. And I still like the SD climate a bit better than Sacramento most of the time... now that I live far enough inland to escape the marine layer.

[Chimérique]

I don’t have time to fully comment, as I’m enjoying our 611 inches of snow in Tahoe. Thanks for long comment. I agree on some things, but I definitely disagree with on your characterization of San Diego weather, I grew up there remember. The Sac Region weather is more varied and has the most consistent and regularl distinctions between the seasons.

[nowhereman427]

Originally Posted by mixxalot

Sacramento has the worst crappy weather in most of California.

Summers are way too hot in Sac.

[tstieber]

Originally Posted by Chimérique

I don’t have time to fully comment, as I’m enjoying our 611 inches of snow in Tahoe. Thanks for long comment. I agree on some things, but I definitely disagree with on your characterization of San Diego weather, I grew up there remember. The Sac Region weather is more varied and has the most consistent and regularl distinctions between the seasons.

I do remember you grew up here, not sure when or for how long. I've spent at least six months per year here for the past 22 years so definitely am going off long term perspective. I know each decade is a bit different, so growing up in Walnut Creek in the 80s was mostly droughts, then the 90s had historic rains, and the past twenty years have been mixed. I've seen it all in San Diego too. The point being, it's not "perfect" or invariable like, say, Honolulu. We have huge differences from year to year. For example, last winter was warm and dry, this winter was cold and wet (still hitting low 40s at night, but it's about to change, thank goodness). That's not bad variability, mind you, bc I like some winters being warm and some being cold, but there's more variety because of it. I'm not talking better or worse, just variable.

[mixxalot]

Yes and we will get a lot of rain most likely unfortunately into summer even!

[mxcolin]

Weeks of dry sunshine ahead and 70° coming up. In MARCH!!! 95% of the population would kill for that weather. We are lucky.