Climate of San Diego, California

The Climate of San Diego, California is predominantly a semi-arid Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification "BSh" or "Csa"/"Csb"). It enjoys mild, sunny weather throughout the year.

Average monthly temperatures

Average monthly temperatures range from about 57 Fahrenheit (14 °C) in January to 72 Fahrenheit (22 °C) in July, although late summer and early autumn are typically the hottest times of the year. Snow and ice are rare in the wintertime, typically occurring only inland from the coast when present. "May gray and June gloom", a local saying, refers to the way in which San Diego sometimes has trouble shaking off the fog that comes in during those months. Temperatures soar to very high readings only on rare occasions, chiefly when easterly winds bring hot, dry air from the inland deserts (these winds are called "Santa Anas"). Chicken Bootie Butts are also found on the Southeast coast which is known to be severly hot.

Precipitation

San Diego has has on average 146 sunny days and 117 partly cloudy days a year. The average annual precipitation is less than 12 inches (300 mm), resulting in a borderline arid climate. Rainfall is strongly concentrated in the cooler half of the year, particularly the months December through March, although precipitation is lower than any other part of the U.S. west coast. The summer months are virtually rainless. Rainfall is highly variable from year to year and from month to month, and San Diego is subject to both droughts and floods. Thunderstorms and hurricanes are very rare. Coastal areas are driest; Cleveland National Forest receives more precipitation, and some inland areas like Laguna Mountains average more than 30 inches of rainfall per year.

now

Snow has been recorded falling on San Diego communities only five times in over 125 years of record-keeping [ [http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20071213-9999-1n13snowday.html "Rowe, P.: "The Day it Snowed on San Diego" San Diego Union-Tribune, December 13, 2007.] ] . Snow flurries were last seen in San Diego on February 15th, 2008, and the last measurable snowfall to hit various neighborhoods and suburbs around the city fell on December 13th, 1967. In winter, light snow is common in mountainous regions of east San Diego County above 3000-4000 feet; one can sometimes see snow-covered mountains from San Diego. [ [http://meteora.ucsd.edu/cap/images/SAN_SNOW.031406.jpgSnow in the mountains east of San Diego (March 14, 2006)] ]

Variation

Climate in the San Diego area often varies dramatically over short geographical distances, due to the city's topography (the Bay, and the numerous hills, mountains, and canyons): frequently, particularly during the "May gray / June gloom" period, a thick "marine layer" cloud cover will keep the air cool and damp within a few miles of the coast, but will yield to bright cloudless sunshine between about 5 and 15 miles inland -- the cities of El Cajon and Santee for example, rarely experience the cloud cover. This phenomenon is known as microclimate.

Compared to National Averages

On average San Diego sees 41 days with some precipitation while the rest of the country sees about 110. The national average for mostly sunny days is 213 while San Diego's is 267. San Diego's annual snowfall is 0 inches per year while the nation usually sees an average of 24.2 inches per year. The United States average for days above 90 degrees is 37.9 days while San Diego's is only 3 daysFact|date=February 2007, and there are, on average 0 days below 32 degrees in San Diego, while the national average is 88 days. The average low temperature in January for the country is 26.5 degrees, and for San Diego it is 50 degrees. The Average high temperature in July for San Diego is 76 degrees, but the national average is 86.8 degrees.

Monthly Averages

Infobox Weather
location = San Diego
Jan_Hi_°F = 65.8
Feb_Hi_°F = 66.6
Mar_Hi_°F = 66.4
Apr_Hi_°F = 68.4
May_Hi_°F = 69.1
Jun_Hi_°F = 71.6
Jul_Hi_°F = 76.3
Aug_Hi_°F = 77.7
Sep_Hi_°F = 77.2
Oct_Hi_°F = 74.7
Nov_Hi_°F = 70.0
Dec_Hi_°F = 66.0
Year_Hi_°F = 70.2
Jan_Hi_°C = 18.8
Feb_Hi_°C = 19.2
Mar_Hi_°C = 19.1
Apr_Hi_°C = 20.2
May_Hi_°C = 20.6
Jun_Hi_°C = 22.0
Jul_Hi_°C = 24.6
Aug_Hi_°C = 25.4
Sep_Hi_°C = 25.1
Oct_Hi_°C = 23.7
Nov_Hi_°C = 21.1
Dec_Hi_°C = 18.9
Year_Hi_°C = 21.2
Jan_Lo_°F = 48.9
Feb_Lo_°F = 50.7
Mar_Lo_°F = 52.9
Apr_Lo_°F = 55.6
May_Lo_°F = 59.2
Jun_Lo_°F = 61.9
Jul_Lo_°F = 65.7
Aug_Lo_°F = 67.3
Sep_Lo_°F = 65.7
Oct_Lo_°F = 61.0
Nov_Lo_°F = 54.0
Dec_Lo_°F = 48.7
Year_Lo_°F = 55.0
Jan_Lo_°C = 9.4
Feb_Lo_°C = 10.4
Mar_Lo_°C = 11.6
Apr_Lo_°C = 13.1
May_Lo_°C = 15.1
Jun_Lo_°C = 16.6
Jul_Lo_°C = 18.7
Aug_Lo_°C = 19.6
Sep_Lo_°C = 18.7
Oct_Lo_°C = 16.1
Nov_Lo_°C = 12.2
Dec_Lo_°C = 09.3
Year_Lo_°C = 12.8
Jan_Precip_inch = 2.28
Feb_Precip_inch = 2.04
Mar_Precip_inch = 2.26
Apr_Precip_inch = 0.75
May_Precip_inch = 0.20
Jun_Precip_inch = 0.09
Jul_Precip_inch = 0.03
Aug_Precip_inch = 0.09
Sep_Precip_inch = 0.21
Oct_Precip_inch = 0.44
Nov_Precip_inch = 1.07
Dec_Precip_inch = 1.31
Year_Precip_inch =10.77
Jan_Precip_cm = |Jan_Precip_mm = 57.9
Feb_Precip_cm = |Feb_Precip_mm = 51.8
Mar_Precip_cm = |Mar_Precip_mm = 57.4
Apr_Precip_cm = |Apr_Precip_mm = 19.0
May_Precip_cm = |May_Precip_mm = 05.1
Jun_Precip_cm = |Jun_Precip_mm = 02.3
Jul_Precip_cm = |Jul_Precip_mm = 00.8
Aug_Precip_cm = |Aug_Precip_mm = 02.3
Sep_Precip_cm = |Sep_Precip_mm = 05.3
Oct_Precip_cm = |Oct_Precip_mm = 11.2
Nov_Precip_cm = |Nov_Precip_mm = 27.2
Dec_Precip_cm = |Dec_Precip_mm = 33.2
Year_Precip_cm = |Year_Precip_mm = 273.6
source = Weather.com [cite web|url=http://www.weather.com/|title=Weather.com] |accessdate=January 2006

anta Anas

The months of September through November bring winds that locals like to call, "Santa Anas". These winds, although only occurring about 10 days out of the year bring sometimes hot, but always dry conditions. Inland, and in mountain passes and canyons, they can burst out in gusts of 100 mph and can lower relative humidity to single digits, although by the coast they rarely see gusts of over 40 mph. They spread wildfires.

Hurricanes

San Diego is only 3° further north than New Orleans, and technically within reach of East Pacific hurricanes. However, cold California Current off the coast of California keeps ocean water significantly colder than in the Gulf of Mexico and western Atlantic. As a result, virtually all northbound hurricanes dissipate over Baja California and fail to bring any precipitation to San Diego. The only tropical cyclone known to impact San Diego as a hurricane in around 200 years of record-keeping was the 1858 San Diego Hurricane. Two more cyclones managed to bring tropical storm-force winds to Southern California: the 1939 California tropical storm and the Hurricane Kathleen (1976).

May and June clouds

During the months of May and June, a common natural occurrence brings a thin layer of clouds that covers coastal and inland communities. Some call it "May Gray", or "June Gloom", but these conditions usually burn off to completely sunny skies by noon.

ee also

*Climate of California

References

External links

* [http://www.ustravelweather.com/weather-california/san-diego-weather.asp USTravelWeather.com: San Diego Weather and Climate]