5. Geography

San Francisco’s Geography : climate

- 18 Oct 2009

California Climate

California climate varies greatly, from arid to subarctic, depending on latitude, elevation and proximity to the coast. Northern California has a Mediterranean climate with mild, wet winter and sunny, dry summer, which makes it an ideal destination for tourists. The region is known for its enormous economic potential: natural resources, agriculture, high-tech firms (many of them located in the Silicon Valley) and cheap labor (mainly from Mexico).

San Francisco Climate

San Francisco is famous for its hills and fog. Being a peninsula, the city is heavily influenced by the cool currents of the Pacific Ocean that keep the temperature stable all year around and produce a mild climate that varies little throughout the seasons. Due to its hilly terrain and strong maritime influences, San Francisco displays a great variety of microclimates: the high hills in the center of the city are responsible for a 20 % variance in annual rainfall between different parts of the city and shield eastern neighborhoods from the cool and foggy conditions of the western side. The combination of the heat of the mainland with the cold water of the Pacific Ocean produces the famous fog that covers San Francisco for much of the year, especially during summer. Unlike Los Angeles, which is warm and dry, the weather in San Francisco is often surprisingly chilly, especially at night. In a single day, the weather can change from sunny and warm to windy and cold. It is preferable to visit the city during spring or autumn, when the fog is less intense, or winter, when there are fewer tourists and hotel prices are lower.