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I live on the intracoastal in St Augustine. It's lovely. Breezy not buggy. It's a very personal preference. I can't stand raking leaves or shoveling snow...so an occasional Palmetto bug does not put a damper on this beautiful place Just MO.
I like that SoCal has waves-something that FL can only dream of. And while I hate the marine layer, it really doesn't last too long. Usually burns off at eleven in the morn, and sometimes isn't there at all. Without a doubt SD has superior summer weather, with the exception of the storms which I like in FL. I do enjoy warm water, but on a very warm SoCal day, I would prefer to cool off in 71F ocean rather than go from 90F, humid FL weather into 80F water. That just does not make sense. At any rate, the best beach weather is from July through November in SoCal. Also, all of FL gets those freezes-even South FL, whereas SoCal really doesn't thanks to the moderating waters of the Pacific. Most people seem to forget that due to the shallowness of the Atlantic, the water cools off rapidly and more in winter in the Atlantic than the Pacific. Look at the waters off Baltimore vs SanFran for comparison. Atlantic may be warmer in summer, but far, far colder in wintertime than the Pacific.
For one thing, coastal waters along the east coast in winter get cooled right along shore by upwelling westerly winds. Along the SE coast, the water right off shore cools down from nw winds, but a few miles offshore the water is a lot warmer than the west coast. Here is a SST image for the SE coast for Feb 2008 (most recent year listed on this website AVHRR Imagery Ocean Remote Sensing Group - JHU/APL ).
It is a 7 day composite image. Notice how warm the water is further offshore. Looks to me like around 57f-68f along the immediate coast, with 25c (77f) water around 100 miles offshore. You would never see water that warm along the CA coast anytime of year let alone winter.
For one thing, coastal waters along the east coast in winter get cooled right along shore by upwelling westerly winds. Along the SE coast, the water right off shore cools down from nw winds, but a few miles offshore the water is a lot warmer than the west coast. Here is a SST image for the SE coast for Feb 2008 (most recent year listed on this website AVHRR Imagery Ocean Remote Sensing Group - JHU/APL ).
It is a 7 day composite image. Notice how warm the water is further offshore. Looks to me like around 57f-68f along the immediate coast, with 25c (77f) water around 100 miles offshore. You would never see water that warm along the CA coast anytime of year let alone winter.
Oh lol I was talking about the northern east coast. Still, the water gets chilly off of FL in wintertime. I was in Cape Canaveral in the winter of 2010-2011. Maybe it was just because of being after a cold snap, but the ocean water was very cold and so was the sea breeze. The air temperature was only 70F, and this is further south than Cape Canaveral. Even Miami and the Keys see a winter water temperature at 69-71F, which isn't that bad (as warm as SoCal water in summer), but certainly is not very warm either.
Oh lol I was talking about the northern east coast. Still, the water gets chilly off of FL in wintertime. I was in Cape Canaveral in the winter of 2010-2011. Maybe it was just because of being after a cold snap, but the ocean water was very cold and so was the sea breeze. The air temperature was only 70F, and this is further south than Cape Canaveral. Even Miami and the Keys see a winter water temperature at 69-71F, which isn't that bad (as warm as SoCal water in summer), but certainly is not very warm either.
Actually the surf temp off S. Florida is more like 73-74f in winter. Here is a plot of avg water temp off of Palm Beach FL. This is a NOAA site that measures the water temp right at the shore off of the pier at Lake Worth (Palm Beach). Miami and Ft. Lauderdale would be normally a degree or two warmer. S. Calif can only dream of water temps like this in winter. Here is the website: NDBC - View Climatic Summary Plots
I actually find myself saying "I wish I lived in Florida" every single day. Especially on my job, which involves me being outside quite a bit in the freezing cold. Florida would be better than any persistently cold subarctic climate.
I think the title of best climate in this country would go to San Francisco or coastal California in general. Doesn't get too cold or hot, plenty of sunshine. I for one would love to live in San Francisco. Florida, on the other hand, has a reputation for being too hot and humid in the summer, even if the East Coast in general isn't that far behind in terms of heat and humidity in the summer. But the point is that perception is persistent enough that Florida probably wouldn't be considered the most desirable climate in this country.
I think the title of best climate in this country would go to San Francisco or coastal California in general. Doesn't get too cold or hot, plenty of sunshine. I for one would love to live in San Francisco. Florida, on the other hand, has a reputation for being too hot and humid in the summer, even if the East Coast in general isn't that far behind in terms of heat and humidity in the summer. But the point is that perception is persistent enough that Florida probably wouldn't be considered the most desirable climate in this country.
I think you are right about that perception. I find summer in FL pretty unbearable. I remember being there in May one year and hiding beneath palm trees for shade. Heat was unrelenting. August there was even worse. Summer where I live is perfect for me.
FL in winter is beautiful for the most part. Swimming in the ocean in Jan there was perfect.
Most Americans would probably rank San Diego as the best climate in the country. I've met a couple people that moved out of FL due to the heat. Most people prefer FL for the winter, not summer.
Actually the surf temp off S. Florida is more like 73-74f in winter. Here is a plot of avg water temp off of Palm Beach FL. This is a NOAA site that measures the water temp right at the shore off of the pier at Lake Worth (Palm Beach). Miami and Ft. Lauderdale would be normally a degree or two warmer. S. Calif can only dream of water temps like this in winter. Here is the website: NDBC - View Climatic Summary Plots
I can’t believe this thread is still going – lol (10,000 views!!)
I agree with what you say…and from a climatological perspective I would just add a few things:
Although I like coastal California too (I love the coast), anyone who has ever spent any amount of time in coastal California knows the “marine layer” is a big issue in spring/early summer: During the famous “May Gray”….June Gloom”….sometimes one will not see the fog/low clouds burn off till late in the afternoon. When you add in the coolish average highs along the SOCAL coast from April through June (normally only in the upper 60’s/low 70’s in places like San Diego, Santa Barbara, Santa Monica…etc)….it can be a bit too cool to enjoy the beach for some people. I’ve read many comments on the San Diego thread from disappointed travelers/and even many locals who despise the cool/overcast beach weather in coastal CA in spring/early summer. The weather (coastal CA weather) gets much better from July through early November. Of course the freezing cold Pacific is another issue even in summer. On the other hand Florida has far better beach weather in the spring/summer – daily highs in the upper 70’s and 80’s, blue skies, and warm seas. After mid March, you don't even need shoes in Fl the mornings are so warm - lol.
The Atlantic off Florida is warmer than the Pacific off California ….anytime of the year. The ocean currents that feed the CA coast come from the subarctic off Alaska…the currents that feed the ocean off Florida come from the deep tropics and Caribbean Sea. Here is a map of mean (30 year average) SST. The water temps off SOCAL average about 60 F in the winter months…while they average about 74 – 75 F off south Florida. Even northermost Florida (65 - 66 F) still has warmer SST than southernmost CA (in fact, the SST off Georga and southern South Carolina are just as warm in winter as SOCAL (lower 60’s):
Here are current SST: Even though it’s only two weeks until the start of November …SST are still 28 C (83 F) along the central/south Florida coast and 26 C (80 F) along the north Florida coast…while they are only in the upper 60’s (18 -20 C) of the SOCAL coast. Even Hawaii SST can’t match south Florida:
My guess is that coastal south Florida is much warmer than anywhere along the coast of CA, because of the much lower latitude (south Florida is almost 500 miles south of even San Diego) and the much warmer Atlantic Ocean currents. There is no comparison in terms of warm winter lows between SOCAL and southern Florida: The ave January low is 46 F in Long Beach and 49 F in San Diego, CA….while the average low is 64 F in Key West and 60 in Miami/Ft. Lauderdale (the average highs are 10 F warmer in southern Fl as well). That’s way coconut palms flourish in southern Florida but would quickly die in even southern most California.
Here is a pic of coconut palms I took near Cape Florida and the Florida Keys a few years ago:
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Last edited by wavehunter007; 10-15-2012 at 08:33 AM..
I think the title of best climate in this country would go to San Francisco or coastal California in general. Doesn't get too cold or hot, plenty of sunshine. I for one would love to live in San Francisco. Florida, on the other hand, has a reputation for being too hot and humid in the summer, even if the East Coast in general isn't that far behind in terms of heat and humidity in the summer. But the point is that perception is persistent enough that Florida probably wouldn't be considered the most desirable climate in this country.
I would disagree about SanFran. Alaska has nicer summer weather than SanFran, because most of Alaska at least gets in the 70s-low 80sF range, while SanFran is foggy, windy and in the 60sF in summer. Miserable weather!
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Just MO.
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