How hot does Corona really get? (Santa Ana, Riverside: buying a home, neighborhood, buying)

[jjbjjbh]

I was looking for a home in O.C. but have decided to settle for Corona.

As I said in the title, how hot does Corona really get? I am looking into buying a home in the mountain Gate area ......end of foothill pkwy, west of Foothill and Lincoln intersection, adjacent to the hill.

I am 57 years old female, retired so I will not be dealing with daily traffic to anywhere. I am however concerned about the summer temperatures and smog. People say Corona gets hot in summer..... how hot ? for how many days? Can you go out and sit in the yard in the evening? or work in the garden? Gardening is my hobby and I like to spend 2-3 hours every day tending to my plants, vegetables, flowers.

What are the worst hours of the day for scorching heat? Does it cool down each day in the evening? what would be the difference in temperatures between 7am, 3pm, pm and midnight in the first week of August? What are the worst months for the scorching heat?

How many days in the summer would I need to start the air conditioner? It is a 3200 sq ft home. What sort of bills can I expect for cooling the home in summer?

Is the smog pollution really that bad??? Will I smell/feel/see it when I step into my yard? How many actual days is the smog so bad that you can/should not go out?

Any and all information regarding the heat will be appreciated. Thank you all.

[5thgenSF]

i wouldn't describe the heat as scorching. ARIZONA is scorching. but cororona can be consistently 95-100 or more for months on end. i lived about a half hour from there and don't recall any days that smog kept people from going out. the summer fires might make the air that bad though. winter is short. it can and does get to 90 some days even in january and february. from may to october is the hottest. i didn't use a/c much as my house was well insulated. but my neighbors would often run theirs 24/7 in the summer. when it's 80 degrees in the morning you know it's gonna be hot! loved june gloom. overcast and cool.

[pacific2]

This might help as it shows the average highs and lows for Corona vs.(as an example) Lake Forest and the differences are considerable, but go with what you like the most. You can always crank up the A/C.


Corona:
Average Weather for Corona, CA - Temperature and Precipitation


Lake Forest
Average Weather for Lake Forest, CA - Temperature and Precipitation

[Gandalara]

As I said in the title, how hot does Corona really get?

It would help if we knew what you considered hot. 80? 110?

You could always compare Corona to where you are now by using the vacation planner on weather.com

Edit: Ha! Pacific2 beat me

[bhcompy]

The problem in Corona from my experience living in Norco was that the air stagnates in summer so it doesn't really cool down at night. Further south in places like Temecula you get breezes off the mountains because they basically back up to the ocean, but in Corona and such you're basically too far inland and in that bowl that Riverside and San Bernardino sit in to get much of a cooling breeze. It can be like this from late spring to well in to fall depending on the year, and fall brings the wildfires and warm Santa Ana winds(never been shocked so much in my life as much as I was in my Norco home with shag carpet during Santa Anas)

[5thgenSF]

Originally Posted by bhcompy

The problem in Corona from my experience living in Norco was that the air stagnates in summer so it doesn't really cool down at night. Further south in places like Temecula you get breezes off the mountains because they basically back up to the ocean, but in Corona and such you're basically too far inland and in that bowl that Riverside and San Bernardino sit in to get much of a cooling breeze. It can be like this from late spring to well in to fall depending on the year, and fall brings the wildfires and warm Santa Ana winds(never been shocked so much in my life as much as I was in my Norco home with shag carpet during Santa Anas)

yeah, i was in wildomar so we did get a breeze. even if it was a hot one! i lived right off the freeway too, so i swore some of the breeze was from all those cars whizzing by. if the traffic died down, so did the breeze!

[Dunbar42]

Pretty much the whole inland empire hits upper 80's to low 90's every day July-September. You'll want to do your gardening in the morning those months. You'll probably have to run the A/C daily in the summer (no idea on A/C bills but I'd guess $200-250 a month.) It always cools off at night so you can comfortably sit on your deck when the sun sets even if it hits 95 during the day. Basically, if you can make it through 3-4 months of summer heat the weather is really nice in the inland empire.

Originally Posted by jjbjjbh

What would be the difference in temperatures between 7am, 3pm, pm and midnight in the first week of August?

Something like 7am - 68 degrees, 3pm - 92 degrees, 12am - 72 degrees. In the summer the heat really starts ramping up above the comfort threshold by 10-11am.

[jjbjjbh]

Wow. Such informative and prompt replies. Thank you all. I guess 2-3 weeks of 100+ I have no problem with. But 3 entire months of 110+ will be too much for me to handle.

Thanks for the links as well. very helpful. Much obliged all.

[Dallas Cowboys Fan]

Well today it was 100 at my house in Corona. It's doesn't go over 100 all that often, but it is definitely warmer than Lake Forest. I run my air conditioner daily during the summer months, but I'm a big baby...it's not really necessary every day. As far as average temps go, it's a little hard to gauge because the summer weather fluctuates a lot here. 7am, about 70 degrees maybe. 2 or 3pm, maybe like 85-95 degrees. Midnight, probably around 65 or so.

At night it cools of a lot, and I sleep with windows open and a nice breeze picks up. I go out in my yard in the morning and evening every day, and it's nice.

The temps also vary quite a bit by season, so the rest of the year is a little different. Fall is hot, dry, and windy. Winter has both cold and warm days, and the spring is really beautiful.

The smog pollution is not noticeable at all in the backyard. People constantly exaggerate about the heat and smog in the IE.

Mountain Gate is a great neighborhood, you will love it!

[jjbjjbh]

Thank you Dallas Cowboys fan.
I have been hearing all these horror stories about Corona. I feel a lot better after reading all your posts.
Thanks all.

I am going to start new thread about The Retreat in Corona. If any of you have any info on the homes in that gated community, please forward it to me. Either here or in the new thread.