California
Related: About this forumI am an east coast transplant to California, what surprised by about California weather was
a) no thunderstorms....on the east coast we had storms almost every day in the summer now after 10 years I only remember one thunderstorm where I could see and hear the lightning and thunder
b) how weird is it that we get weather reports by altitude.....first time I heard it...I had to think about why
c) there really is a rainy season and the rest of the year, you are lucky if the humidity rises to 15%
d) that rainy season might be a little rain everyday for 60+ days....or you might get all of the rain for the entire year in 5 storms
e) one time the rain and runoff was so strong that I found my front year at the bottom of the hill next to my neighbors house... seriously the topsoil and mulch ran off my front lawn, out my driveway, down the gutter to the storm drain at the bottom of the hill
f) snow doesn't have to be icy...I learned to ice in the northeast...I never ran into powder....and here, I its the opposite unless its a very sunny cold day
g) in the summer, the high temperature versus the low temperature varies 40-50 degrees each day. no hot, muggy nights (or more accurately no hot muggy nights most years
msongs
(67,441 posts)Fresh_Start
(11,330 posts)so I'm not seeing it cause I'm not near enough to mountains.
2naSalit
(86,775 posts)I remember heavy rains that would cause landslides and I've seen it snow there three times.
Fresh_Start
(11,330 posts)but I've never it had it close enough to my home in california where the entire house shaked..like it did in NY (state not city so wood frame home not skyscraper or apartment building)
highmindedhavi
(355 posts)drive down pch
Carmel By the Sea
Big Sur
Cambria
Solvang
Fresh_Start
(11,330 posts)Over time we've done the entire coast of California.. from Mexico to Oregon.
We've down the skiing resorts, Palm Desert area, Yosemite, reservoir regions, wine growing regions, Sacramento, Riverside...
We need to see more inland areas...but so far, this state is absolutely breathtaking in its diversity and beauty.
calguy
(5,325 posts)Now living in Arkansas and really really miss the California weather.
Fresh_Start
(11,330 posts)no mosquitos
none of the really disgusting plump bugs
hummingbirds year round
flowers year round
I have bird of paradise, palm trees, cactus, and fruit trees which require 500 chill hours
Auggie
(31,186 posts)I notice fewer flies in summer as well.
Fresh_Start
(11,330 posts)and those are clearly coming from my fruit basket or the fruit that I don't pick soon enough.
I've never been swarmed by flies out here.
Now hornets are another thing entirely but even they are less frequent
droidamus2
(1,699 posts)Well, I know what you mean but in reverse. I moved from California to Vermont. I didn't realize the are four big seasons but then you have ice season and mud season. Compared to California you don't really get a 'summer'. Sure you get a few weeks of decent weather but like you said all mixed in with lots of thunder storms. Don't even ask me about winter, if I never have to clear snow again in my life I will be happy. If we can ever handle it financially we will definitely be moving back to the west coast.
Fresh_Start
(11,330 posts)its where I used to ski
The River
(2,615 posts)is different (better) out here.
Welcome to the 'hood.
Fresh_Start
(11,330 posts)And New York is also amazingly beautiful...but the weather can beat you down
My youngest son was born in August in a summer with 20+ days over 100 degrees...(and I was commuting)
I broke my leg on icy stairs 10 days before my wedding
But, for 10 years I had a beautiful commute (each morning or night) depending on the season I had sunrise or sunset on the Hudson river....commuting by train.
kysrsoze
(6,023 posts)Dont get me wrong... generally I love the weather here. We moved from Chicago. I loved the city, but hated everything about winter. Were never moving back.
We live right over the hills from the SF Valley. Its really hot For a majority of the year, but its dry and breezy so its livable. Aftwr a few months of living here, i went back and stepped out of OHare and got blasted by heat and humidity. I had forgotten how brutal that can be. I dont sweat much here. Were getting a LOT of rain lately, and we need it,so thats fine. We were even treated to lightning and thunder last week.
What I find really odd about the winters here is how COLD it feels after the sun goes down. We used to laugh at people for wearing winter coats in the 50s. But when it drops into the 40s, you get chilled right to the bone. My kids baseball practice today was windy and COLD. We had frost last night and yesterday, there were icy bridge warning signs out.
I thought it was just being acclimated, but my wife feels the same way - due to the lack of humidity, it seems the air cant hold the heat and it genuinely feels colder at the same temp here. We went back to Chicago over Xmas and we thought we were going to freeze, but the whole time it wasnt that bad, except for one really windy day. Negative 27 last week would have been awful, yes, but thats an extreme. Anything below 15 is yucky.
BigmanPigman
(51,627 posts)when I see people out here in San Diego jogging in shorts when it is 50 outside (you are correct...it DOES get cold at night) and when it is 95 outside. I am cold if it is under 70 and I am hot if it is over 76. Good thing it is mostly in the 60s and 70s. I love thunder and lightening since it is such a rarity. My little dog didn't see rain for 9 months so when it finally did rain she had no problem going outside to do her stuff. She liked it since it was a special treat.
Fresh_Start
(11,330 posts)but the cooling effect of evaporation is probably also at play since even at 50 degrees your body moisture is evaporating due to the low humidity
kysrsoze
(6,023 posts)ailsagirl
(22,899 posts)Often people get SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) in the winter-- I get it in the summer. Honestly!!
But I've always been reminded that a dry heat is a thousand times more bearable than a humid heat.
And I know that's true, so I am grateful that, though summers here (Northern Calif) can be hot, at least the
humidity is low.
Then, of course, there's the danger of wildfires, but that's another story.
Being a native Californian, I was amazed to discover that other parts of the country get RAIN all year.
Just my 2 cents worth