Oceanside weather about same as SD? (San Diego, Escondido: beach, coastal, humidity)

[Kansoku]

I was wondering if Oceanside, CA has similar weather to SD

[sav858]

Yes, the same as anywhere else along the coast in SD.

[Encinitan]

In San Diego, the weather is more likely to be different as you go from east to west more than it will be for north to south. Meaning, the more inland you go away from the coast, the warmer it is, less coastal clouds and fog, etc. But along the coast, from Imperial Beach to Oceanside, it's pretty much the same, with a few degress this way or that way.

[esmith143]

Originally Posted by Encinitan

In San Diego, the weather is more likely to be different as you go from east to west more than it will be for north to south. Meaning, the more inland you go away from the coast, the warmer it is, less coastal clouds and fog, etc. But along the coast, from Imperial Beach to Oceanside, it's pretty much the same, with a few degress this way or that way.

Interestingly, it gets wetter, not drier, as you go inland ... coast gets 10" of rainfall a year (on average), Escondido gets 15", Ramona gets 20".

[Encinitan]

Originally Posted by esmith143

Interestingly, it gets wetter, not drier, as you go inland ... coast gets 10" of rainfall a year (on average), Escondido gets 15", Ramona gets 20".

That's true, and I have no idea why! You'd think the rain clouds coming in from off the ocean (which they do 90 percent of the time) would empty first on the coastline and be tapped out by the time they got inland. But the opposite is true. We need a meteorologist to chime in and explain.

[esmith143]

Originally Posted by Encinitan

That's true, and I have no idea why! You'd think the rain clouds coming in from off the ocean (which they do 90 percent of the time) would empty first on the coastline and be tapped out by the time they got inland. But the opposite is true. We need a meteorologist to chime in and explain.

Has to do with elevation. The scientific term is "orographic lift". A layman's explanation would go somewhat like this. When moist air is blown inland, it moves uphill, where air pressure is lower. It expands adiabatically (without exchanging heat) and thermodynamics tells us that adiabatically expanding air must cool. The cooler the air, the less moisture it can hold. Excess moisture falls as rain.

So, rain clouds pass over Encinitas without even noticing. Downtown Escondido is at the elevation of 800 feet, Ramona is at 1500 feet, Julian is at 4200 feet.

And then the air goes downhill again and warms up, and its relative humidity falls well below 100% ... and that's why Borrego Springs and Ocotillo are even drier than Encinitas (5-6" of precipitation on average).

[Encinitan]

Originally Posted by esmith143

Has to do with elevation. The scientific term is "orographic lift". A layman's explanation would go somewhat like this. When moist air is blown inland, it moves uphill, where air pressure is lower. It expands adiabatically (without exchanging heat) and thermodynamics tells us that adiabatically expanding air must cool. The cooler the air, the less moisture it can hold. Excess moisture falls as rain.

So, rain clouds pass over Encinitas without even noticing. Downtown Escondido is at the elevation of 800 feet, Ramona is at 1500 feet, Julian is at 4200 feet.

And then the air goes downhill again and warms up, and its relative humidity falls well below 100% ... and that's why Borrego Springs and Ocotillo are even drier than Encinitas (5-6" of precipitation on average).

Well, there ya go then!