Climate of San Francisco: Ideal for Tourist
Climate of San Francisco: Ideal for Tourist
San Francisco is located on the West Coast of the United States and a popular quote erroneously attributed to Mark Twain is "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco." San Francisco's climate is characteristic of the cool-summer Mediterranean climate of California's coast with moist mild winters and dry summers. San Francisco temperatures seldom ever dip below 40°F, or reach or exceed 90°F.
Most of the days in summer months start with thick fog that envelopes San Francisco City either wholly or partially. But the summer sun will drive away the fog within a short time – but as they say weather is unpredictable. At times, the western part of the city will remain covered with fog all day while the eastern part will be bright and sunny and on certain summer days the whole city never sees the sun all day.
However, by 3:00pm in the afternoons, the west wind will usually blow at 25-30mph. In the month of August, there might be a few intermittent showers, even one thunderstorm, when the last lap of Southwest monsoons reach the Bay Area. Dry days are the norm during October and the real summer here happens in September and October.
Visitors to San Francisco can safely prefer autumn months as the weather then will be more steady and dependable. The temperature will be warm at 80°F in San Francisco City, 100°F in the East, South or North Bay cities.
During November-December, there will be rains and one can expect cool winter storms from the Pacific. San Francisco is also known for winter fogs that occur in December and unlike summer fogs, the winter fogs will not roll in. This can make driving dangerous particularly during nights.
The rains will be the heaviest during March and the month of April will have the most uncertain weather of the year. There can be a heat wave for a few days, and suddenly a week later it can rain as never before. May weather can be sunny and mild with overcast skies most of the time and ideal for tourists to visit.
San Francisco experiences over 300 days of sunshine in a year. San Francisco is known for gusty winds due to its location near cold ocean waters, its topography and maritime influence. Despite all these variations, in comparison with most other parts of USA, San Francisco's climate is one of the most even and predictable.
This quality is what makes it one of the most salubrious climates for tourists to visit. Once in two to three years, snow flurries may reach San Francisco and remain for a short while, but seeing snow on the ground is rare.
According to meteorologists, the warmest month is September with an average high of 71°F and low of 56°F. San Francisco> gets about 15 days per year with a temp over 90°F. Hence, air conditioners are not seen in many of the residences, offices, theaters, boutique style hotels etc. Visitors will also not find the absence of an air conditioner inconvenient.
Thus, San Francisco can be fun and excitement in any season of the year and the best time to visit the region depends on your personal preferences.
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