Bay Area Weather in January/February (San Jose, San Francisco: live in, cost, transport)

[MrGrumpy]

Thanks for the input. The only reason I was considering it at that time is due to southwest's insane offer on airfare during that time.

[tstieber]

Yeah, definitely not foggy in winter except farther inland near the Central Valley. It varies so much year by year, because as one person said, in the PNW it drizzles all the time, and here, we get big deluges, but not as often. Rain is not predictable year over year. I've seen a record 26 days of rain in SF one January, but on the other hand, last year, it was a record 75-80 degrees in the Bay Area in mid-January, with hardly any rain at all. Our averages are made up of extremes. I would say it's usually high 50s (maybe low 60s in San Jose), breezy, and alternatingly rainy and sunny, sort of like England in April or May. Depending on where you're coming from, it will be awful or great.

[Boompa]

Originally Posted by batransplant

foggy, cold, windy, rainy, extremely gray and depressing. I cant stand it!

But if you cross the Golden Gate to Marin County it'll be sunny and warm as soon as you clear the tunnel

[sonarrat]

Originally Posted by Boompa

But if you cross the Golden Gate to Marin County it'll be sunny and warm as soon as you clear the tunnel

.............Not exactly.

If you had said the Bay Bridge, I would agree with you.

[skyway31]

That only applies to the spring/summer marine layer ("fog") though, correct? Am referring to crossing the GG into Marin county.

[MrGrumpy]

Also I was reading about the closing of the bay bridge, would that be a problem if I were planning on using the BART as my main source of transport? As for the cold that is relative since I am from the Boise Idaho area, where it is usually between 20-40 Degrees between November and March (although it is a dry cold). I was in Oakland a couple of weeks ago for a business conference when they got between 3-4 inches of rain in one day and that was pretty crazy (especially since the roof and seals of the Hotel leaked).

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Originally Posted by Gentoo

You're right about that. SF gets like 21in of rain. Berkeley gets 22in and Oakland 18. San Jose get 13in. Even LA gets up to 15 so the south bay in that rain shadow is considerably drier.

The rain shadow places get less quantity of rain per storm. But typically, when a storm comes in, they still get lots of clouds and wind.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Originally Posted by MrGrumpy

Also I was reading about the closing of the bay bridge, would that be a problem if I were planning on using the BART as my main source of transport? As for the cold that is relative since I am from the Boise Idaho area, where it is usually between 20-40 Degrees between November and March (although it is a dry cold). I was in Oakland a couple of weeks ago for a business conference when they got between 3-4 inches of rain in one day and that was pretty crazy (especially since the roof and seals of the Hotel leaked).

BART is sort of crowded right now, to be sure. But they are adding trains and expanding operating hours.

[sonarrat]

Originally Posted by skyway31

That only applies to the spring/summer marine layer ("fog") though, correct? Am referring to crossing the GG into Marin county.

East Bay is usually warmer than San Francisco in my experience, year round. Even when the marine layer has been put to bed for the winter.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Originally Posted by sonarrat

East Bay is usually warmer than San Francisco in my experience, year round. Even when the marine layer has been put to bed for the winter.

Not when there is an inversion or any hint of northerly or offshore flow. In those cases, the Sunset is the warmest place in the Bay Area, and Monterey is the warmest place in the general region. When I lived in the Sunset, I spent a lot of time in the East Bay for work. In winter, I'd feel more cold in the East Bay than at home. Between storms, I'd be out in back by the barbeque, basking in the sun and the reflection off the water. It would be reliably in the 60s for highs, often approaching 70, between the storms, in that particular microclimate. And never any frost or even the slightest hint of dank smoky cold inland valley feeling or tule fog.