Thursday, February 5, 2009

Bay Area Weather

The best way to describe the weather of the greater San Francisco Bay Area is Mediterranean. Since I have arrived, it has not gotten colder than 50 degrees nor warmer than 70 degrees, but that can vary greatly depending on where you are. You see, the combination of a steady maritime influence and such undulating, mountainous topography creates rather bizarre microclimates. Up in Marin County, north of San Francisco downtown proper, you might find cold and wetness. Down here in Pacifica (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacifica,_California) it will be super windy and dry. Even crossing into a different valley within Pacifica will yield you slightly different conditions, going up in elevation changes everything too!

The cities characteristic fog is the result of cold ocean water trying to mesh with hot Central Valley (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Valley_(California)) air. It is not unusual for the eastern sheltered parts of the city to recieve more sunshine than other parts such as Sunset district, which tends get fogged out. On the same token, further inland into the San Francisco Bay it can get real hot, but atleast it is a dry heat out here.

The climate of San Francisco makes it extraordinarily well-suited for growing landscape trees (and growing nearly anything really!). No tree guide can help you identify all of the citys trees, native species seem to grow where they can and many others dominate the yards of suburban homes. There are hybrids and imports from Asia, Europe, South America and Australia. Favorable landscape species such as sycamore, ash, elm, oak (including evergreen ones) and maples can be found here too. So, anyone working with the trees has a lot to learn, and let me tell you, tree identification in San Francisco is a real challenge!

As I write this a new front has moved in and ruined a solid 10 days of blue bird days, which was honestly the longest period of sunshine I have experienced in the middle of winter in my life. The front will bring frightfully cold temperatures in the 50s and rain, but they need the later very badly here! Wishful thinking near my place:

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