Fog? (San Francisco, Fremont, Daly City: hotel, house, live in)

[central texan]

I remember reading on another thread some great info. about the foggy areas, but I can't find it again. Any advice? Does the fog sock in particular areas or is it just all over? Does it tend to follow certain patterns leaving areas that dont get it ALL the time? And what about areas that tend to flood? Thanks for any help!

[ferretkona]

Fog does tend to collect in the same areas often. Some places only get it once in awhile. It is common along the coast, but the inland valleys get it too.

Every year or so we hear of a 20 car +/- accident on the I-5. When I was young I would barrel thru regardless. Now I just pull over and sleep it off, hotel if available or on the side of the road well off the highway if I have to.

We do have areas called flood basins where a flood is possible. But we really do not get floods like other states do. We would need rain for that, lol.

[PNH]

Almost all parts of the immediate Bay Area (SF, East Bay, Peninsula) as well as the coastal areas will get fog regularly in the summer months. The hot air inland draws the moisture from the coast. Sometimes in San Francisco, Half Moon Bay, and Santa Cruz the fog will not burn off for days in a row if it is hot inland. In the rest of the Bay Area it is common to have fog in the morning that burns off before noon, sometimes returning in the evening. We call it "nature's air conditioning!"

On the other hand, some inland areas get "valley fog" in the winter--low lying ground fog. Again, in some areas it will burn off while in the Central Valley it might stay foggy for days.

Most die-hard Bay Area dwellers learn to love the fog. I live in Fremont, and I love the cool mornings and evenings. In the summer, I shut the house up in the middle of the day to keep it cool, and then open the doors and windows in the early evening when the wind picks up and the fog comes in. When we have a protracted spell of hot weather (which in the Bay Area means more than 3 days of 90 degree + temps), the inhabitants make it a habit to scan the hills near the ocean looking for the fog to spill over--it means the heat wave has broken and the next day will be cooler.

The only down side is that you can't count on sun at the beach, and you can't count on warm weather in the evening. Most Bay Area people regularly bring a sweat shirt or light jacket with them even on warm days, since you just never know. But since most homes in the Bay Area have no air conditioning, the fog is welcome.

[MoMark]

In San Francisco the fog comes in the summer and rolls over the Parkside, Sunset and Richmond Districts. It can go as far as downtown, though it can go as far as the East Bay, but usually stops short around the Haight or Duboce Triangle.
It can be very thick and windy up on Twin Peaks, Diamond Heights, Mt. Davidson and in West Portal.
It will often be there for days over the western half of the city and it can be very chilly. I used to run my heater in July in the Sunset.
Downtown can be sunny and hot and once you come out of the Duboce tunnel, it's grey and wet/dark.
It also can pour over the Golden Gate and sometimes fingers of it curl through Sausalito. Daly City is often socked in.
It's not often that it covers the whole bay in my experience.