Jan-Dec weather? (San Diego, San Francisco: living in, move, relocating)

[TVC15]

Hi I am going to be relocating from Houston, TX to SF within the next 2 months. Could anyone give a description of what to expect year round weather wise in SF. I have a motorcycle that I really enjoy riding and I wonder if it is doable to ride year round in SF. I will be working downtown and living within a decent driving distance to downtown. I just read the thread for Jan and Feb but what about March-Dec?

Thanks in advance


Anyone out there willing to share???

[Gentoo]

The exact weather you may experience depends greatly on your exact location. Coastal California, because of it's topography has many micro climates. These are especially pronounced in the SF Bay Area. Even within the city of San Francisco, you can get at least two distinct microclimates. If you're on the west side of the city, it's cooler and cloudier on average than the eastern side. At times, temperatures are in the low to mid 60's in summer on the western side. The eastern side of the city is warmer and sunnier with temps in the low to mid 70's. I won't talk much about other areas around the bay right now as from your post, it sounds like you plan on living in the city.

As far as rainfall, SF has a Mediterranean climate. The characteristic of this cimate has to do with rainfall patterns more than temperatures unlike most other climate zones. There's is a pronounce dry season which in the bay area last on average of 5 to 6 months or so with the bulk of the rain occurring in a three month period.

March-December; March can be a bit unpredictable as the rainy season is beginning to wind down. However I can recall some memorial events in early spring. Nothing like you'd get in TX though. The last rain usually falls in mid April, sometimes early may but the official end of the rainy season is April 15th. From that time up until Sep. it feels like spring. Spring last forever in the bay area. The warmest temps are usually in Sep and Oct. Although warm temps can occur without warning at anytime of the year, same with cool temps.

This time of year is when the marine layer is prominent. It comes in with a cool seabreeze, usually in late afternoon. Even on warm days, the temperatures drop dramatically as evening sets in. Most days it clears away by mid morning but sometimes it can persist all day especially in parts of the city. This is the basic weather pattern throughout most of spring and summer.

September and October is when things can change up. These are typically the warmest months but getting rain is not unheard of in Sep. Rain also occurs in October but not usually the deluge they bay area just received a couple of weeks ago. Hot dry winds can also blow and temperatures can sometimes get pretty toasty. November is usually pretty nice temp wise at least up until the 3rd week or so. This is when the real rain may begin as it's the start of the rainy season. December is when it's cools down when temps during the day usually run in the mid 50's. When it's not raining, it's absolutely beautiful! Crystal clear with great visibility and crisp brisk air. This is a typical winter in the bay area, it's like fall would be in most of the rest of the country.

[Gentoo]

The one thing I will add is that in the Bay Area, you can say good bye to that muggy humid weather

[Jonotastic]

spring & fall are the warmest seasons, while summer & winter are the coldest seasons (San Francisco)

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Got search?

//www.city-data.com/forum/san-f...-february.html

(Amazingly, this was a very recent thread, very easy to find even without using "search.")

[TVC15]

Originally Posted by Gentoo

The one thing I will add is that in the Bay Area, you can say good bye to that muggy humid weather

I've lived in Houston for 43 years and NEVER adjusted to the humidity...however I do not look 45 actually I don't even look 35...and yes genetics plays a role but so did the humidity for all of those years. I am afraid I will turn into a prune without the humidity!

[TVC15]

Originally Posted by BayAreaHillbilly

Got search?

//www.city-data.com/forum/san-f...-february.html

(Amazingly, this was a very recent thread, very easy to find even without using "search.")

Thanks but if you read my post I was searching for March-Dec after reading that post yesterday.

[Jonotastic]

Originally Posted by TVC15

I've lived in Houston for 43 years and NEVER adjusted to the humidity...however I do not look 45 actually I don't even look 35...and yes genetics plays a role but so did the humidity for all of those years. I am afraid I will turn into a prune without the humidity!

I move between Alaska and Florida...everytime it kills my skin, it makes San Francisco seem like Houston in terms of humidity. Find a good body lotion and apply it every night for a couple months and then you will be fine after that lol.

[Gentoo]

To comment on this humidity thing, the others bring up a good point; it's relative to what you're used to. For me, San Diego in summer is miserable. I hate the summers here as it's too humid for my taste. Having said that, since you're used to Houston humidity, SF is going to feel like it's sucking the moister right out your skin! You will want some sort of moisturizer until you adjust to the dew points. Dew points in the bay area, despite the marine layer influence remain fairly low most of the year. From the mid 40's to low 50's. (rarely to the mid 50's and occasionally down into the 20's during those northeast wind events). Houston's dew points are frequently in the 70's so the air in SF will feel very dry to you.