Fog at the Golden Gate Bridge

California's climate changes varies widely, from arid to subarctic, depending on latitude, elevation, and proximity to the coast. Some of the state has a Mediterranean climate, with rainy winters and dry summers. The influence of the ocean generally moderates temperature extremes, creating warmer winters and substantially cooler summers, especially along the coastal areas. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 416 pixelsFull resolution (2296 × 1193 pixel, file size: 749 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 416 pixelsFull resolution (2296 × 1193 pixel, file size: 749 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening into the San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Largest metro area Greater Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... In general terms, the climate of a locale or region is said to be arid when it is characterized by a severe lack of available water, to the extent of hindering or even preventing the growth and development of plant and animal life. ... The subarctic is a region in the Northern Hemisphere immediately south of the true Arctic and covering much of Canada and Siberia, the north of Scandinavia, northern Mongolia and the Chinese province of Heilongjiang. ... This article is about the geographical term. ... Elevation histogram of the surface of the Earth – approximately 71% of the Earths surface is covered with water. ...  Areas with Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate is a climate that resembles the climate of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin. ... Winter is one of the four seasons of temperate zones. ... For other uses, see Summer (disambiguation). ... Animated map exhibiting the worlds oceanic waters. ...

Temperature range

Visitors at Redwood National Park

The cool California Current offshore, enhanced by upwelling of cold sub-surface waters, often creates summer fog near the coast, creating a moderate oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb) on the northern coast and a moderate Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb) from about Cape Mendocino southward. Further inland, the climate becomes more continental, while remaining semi-arid (Köppen BSk), with colder winters and markedly hotter summers. Low-lying inland valleys, especially the Central Valley, have a hot Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa), with subtropical temperatures but a well-defined summer dry season. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Established in 1968 from unprotected land as well as small portions of existing state parks, Redwood National Park is a United States National Park on the northern coast of California between Eureka and Crescent City. ... The California Current is a Pacific Ocean current that moves south along the western coast of North America, beginning off southern British Columbia, and ending off southern Baja California. ... Upwelling is an oceanographic phenomenon that involves wind-driven motion of dense, cooler, and usually nutrient-rich water towards the ocean surface, replacing the warmer, usually nutrient-depleted surface water. ... For other uses, see Fog (disambiguation). ... World map showing the oceanic climate zones. ... The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. ...  Areas with Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate is a climate that resembles the climate of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin. ... Cape Mendocino in Humboldt County, California, USA, is the westernmost point on the coast of California. ... Regions containing a continental climate exist in portions of Northern Hemisphere continents, and also at higher elevations in certain other parts of the world. ... Semi-arid generally describes regions that receive low annual rainfall (25 to 50 cm /10 to 20 in) and generally have scrub or grass vegetation. ... This article is about Californias Central Valley. ... Subtropical (or semitropical) areas are those adjacent to the tropics, usually roughly defined as the ranges 23. ...

The temperature gradient between immediate coast and low-lying inland valleys in the south is about 7 °F (4 °C) in winter (the coast being warmer) and in summer roughly 25 °F (14 °C) (the interior being warmer). The temperature difference is most dramatic nearer the coast For example, the average daily high in San Francisco in July and August is 68 °F (20° C), and in Walnut Creek, some 20 miles (32 km) inland, the average daily high in July and August is 87 °F (31° C); a temperature gain of approximately one degree (Fahrenheit) per mile.^[1] In the south, the figures are approximately 4 °F and 23 °F (2 °C and 13 °C), respectively. At the Santa Monica coast, the average high in August is 75 °F (24° C), while in Burbank, approximately 10 miles (16 km) inland, the average high in August is 90 °F (32° C); a temperature gain over one degree per mile.^[2] At its most extreme, there is a 4 °F and 35 °F (2 °C and 20 °C) temperature difference between Santa Barbara and Death Valley. The extreme southwest, around San Diego, has a semi-arid warm steppe climate (Koppen BSh) as winters are drier there. In San Bernardino the winters get a low of 30°F and in the summers a high of 109°F since it is about 100 miles inland of the pacific ocean in Southern California. San Francisco redirects here. ... Walnut Creek is a largely affluent suburb several miles east of Oakland in Contra Costa County, California, USA, in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. ... For other uses, see Santa Monica (disambiguation). ... Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. ... Nickname: Location in Santa Barbara County and the state of California Coordinates: , County Government  - Mayor Marty Blum Area  - City 111. ... For other uses, see Death Valley (disambiguation). ... San Diego redirects here. ... San Bernardino is the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. ...

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The southeastern regions have a hot arid climate (Koppen BWh), which grades into a temperate arid climate (Koppen BWk) farther north. In the northern portion of the Mojave Desert on the east side of the state is Death Valley, which is the hottest spot on the Western Hemisphere. It is common in the summer for temperatures in the valley to reach 120 °F (49 °C). The highest temperature in the Western Hemisphere, 134 °F (56.6 °C), was recorded in Death Valley on July 10, 1913. Temperatures of 130 °F (54 °C) or higher have been recorded as recently as 2005. The 24-hour average July temperature in Death Valley is 101 °F (38 °C) (1961–1990 standard). Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... In general terms, the climate of a locale or region is said to be arid when it is characterized by a severe lack of available water, to the extent of hindering or even preventing the growth and development of plant and animal life. ... For the indigenous American tribe, see Mohave. ... For other uses, see Death Valley (disambiguation). ... The geographical western hemisphere of Earth, highlighted in yellow. ... is the 191st day of the year (192nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1913 (MCMXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

Precipitation

Westerly winds from the ocean also bring moisture, and the northern parts of the state generally receive higher annual rainfall amounts than the south. California's mountain ranges influence the climate as well: moisture-laden air from the west cools as it ascends the mountains, dropping moisture; some of the rainiest parts of the state are west-facing mountain slopes. Northwestern California has a temperate climate with rainfall of 15–50 inches (400–1,270 mm) per year. Some areas of Coast Redwood forest receive over 100 inches of precipitation per year (2,540 mm). In geography, temperate latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. ... Binomial name Sequoia sempervirens (D. Don) Endl. ...

Summer in the Sierra Nevada at Lake Tahoe

The Central Valley has a wide range of precipitation. The northern parts of the Central Valley receive substantially greater precipitation from winter storms which sweep down from the Pacific Northwest, while the southernmost regions of the Central Valley are near desert-like because of a lack of precipitation. Parts of the Valley are occasionally filled with thick fog (known locally as "tule fog)." Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1280x853, 414 KB) Summary w:Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1280x853, 414 KB) Summary w:Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe. ... Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada mountains of the United States. ... The Pacific Northwest from space The Pacific Northwest, abbreviated PNW, or PacNW is a region in the northwest of North America. ... Tule fog (IPA: ) is a thick ground fog that settles in the San Joaquin Valley and Sacramento Valley areas of Californias Great Central Valley. ...

The high mountains, including the Sierra Nevada, the Cascade Range, and the Trinity Alps, have a mountain climate with snow in winter and mild to moderate heat in summer. Ski resorts at Lake Tahoe, Mammoth Lakes, and Mt. Shasta routinely receive over 10 feet (3 m) of snow in a season, and some years, substantially more – leading, for example, to annual ski races on the Fourth of July. This article is about the mountain range in the Western United States. ... “Cascades” redirects here. ... The Trinity Alps near Granite Lake in July 2005 The Trinity Alps are mountains in Northern California. ... Mountain climate (also highland climate) is something of a crude geographical term used for the kind of climate in the mountains and generally in the high country. ... For other uses, see Snow (disambiguation). ... Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada mountains of the United States. ... Mammoth Lakes is a town located in Mono County, California. ... Mount Shasta, a 14,179-foot (4,322 m) stratovolcano, is the second-highest peak in the Cascade Range and the second-highest point in California (after Mount Whitney). ... These fireworks over the Washington Monument are typical of Fourth of July celebrations In the United States, Independence Day, also called the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday celebrating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. ...

Mediterranean climate at Santa Barbara

On the east side of the mountains is a drier rain shadow. California's desert climate regions lie east of the high Sierra Nevada and Southern California's Transverse Ranges and Peninsular Ranges. The low deserts east of the southern California mountains, including the Imperial and Coachella valleys and the lower Colorado River, are part of the Sonoran Desert, with hot summers and nearly frostless mild winters; the higher elevation deserts of eastern California, including the Mojave Desert, Owens Valley, and the Modoc Plateau, are part of the Great Basin region, with hot summers and cold winters. During the summer months, especially from July through early September, the region is affected by the Mexican Monsoon (also called the "southwest monsoon"), which drives moisture from the tropical Pacific, Gulf of California, and/or Gulf of Mexico into the deserts, setting off brief, but often torrential thunderstorms, particularly over mountainous terrain. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1600 × 1200 pixel, file size: 548 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1600 × 1200 pixel, file size: 548 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Nickname: Location in Santa Barbara County and the state of California Coordinates: , County Government  - Mayor Marty Blum Area  - City 111. ... For the television series see Rain Shadow. ... A dune in the Egyptian desert In geography, a desert is a landscape form or region that receives little precipitation. ... The Transverse ranges are a group of mountain ranges of southern California, part of the North American Coast Ranges that run along the Pacific coast from Alaska to Mexico. ... The Peninsular Ranges are a group of mountain ranges which stretch 900 miles from southern California to the southern tip of Baja California, part of the North American Coast Ranges that run along the Pacific coast from Alaska to Mexico. ... Colorado River in the Grand Canyon from Desert View The Colorado River is a river in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately 1,450 mi (2,333 km) long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. ... Map of the Mojave and Sonoran deserts. ... Eastern California is not a well-defined term. ... For the indigenous American tribe, see Mohave. ... Owens Valley is the arid ranching valley of the Owens River in southeastern California in the United States. ... The Modoc Plateau lies in the northeast corner of California as well as parts of Oregon and Nevada. ... Drainage map showing the Great Basin in orange Various Definitions of the Great Basin (NPS) Wheeler Peak in Great Basin National Park, Nevada. ... For other uses, see Monsoon (disambiguation). ... The Gulf of California (also known as the Sea of Cortez or Sea of Cortés; locally known in the Spanish language as Mar de Cortés or, much less frequently, Golfo de California) is a body of water that separates the Baja California Peninsula from the Mexican mainland. ... Gulf of Mexico in 3D perspective. ...

Despite its long coastline, California is not vulnerable to tropical cyclones. Because of the cold California Current from the North Pacific Ocean and the fact that the storms tend to "steer" West, California has only been hit with one tropical storm in recorded history, a storm which came ashore in 1939 and dumped heavy rainfall on the Los Angeles Area and interior deserts. Uncommonly, the remnants of a tropical system will affect California after becoming extratropical. This article is about weather phenomena. ... The California Current is a Pacific Ocean current that moves south along the western coast of North America, beginning off southern British Columbia, and ending off southern Baja California. ... This article is about weather phenomena. ...

Glossary

The following are terms used to describe local or regional weather events.

• Santa Ana winds: Santa Anas are hot, high winds that blow from the eastern mountains and deserts towards coastal Southern California, usually in the spring and fall. They are the result of air pressure buildup between the Sierra Nevada and the Rocky Mountains. This air mass spills out, is pulled by gravity, and circulates clockwise around the high pressure area, bringing winds from the east and northeast; as the air descends in elevation, it heats up and the humidity plummets to less than 15%. It is often said that the air is heated and dried as it passes through the nearby deserts, but according to meteorologists this is a popular misconception; during Santa Ana conditions, it is typically hotter along the coast than in the deserts. As the Santa Ana winds are channeled through the mountain passes they can approach hurricane force. The combination of speed, heat, and dryness turns the chaparral into explosive fuel for the infamous wildfires the region is known for.

• Pineapple Express: A complex combination of events, bringing high levels of torrential precipitation to California. The Pineapple Express occurs when the jet stream dips across California, and warm, humid air from the mid-Pacific (from the vicinity of Hawaii–hence, the name) is drawn towards California. The resulting combination can cause extraordinarily heavy rains. A January 2005 Pineapple Express dropped nearly 25 inches (63.5 cm) of rain in Santa Barbara County.

• Tule fog: A thick ground fog that settles in the San Joaquin Valley and Sacramento Valley areas of the California Central Valley. Tule fog forms during the late fall and winter after the first significant rainfall. This phenomenon is named after the tule grass wetlands of the Central Valley. Tule fog can extend from Bakersfield to Chico. Accidents caused by the tule fog are the leading cause of weather-related deaths in California; visibility is usually less than an eighth of a mile (about 600 feet or 183 - 200 m), but can be less than 10 feet (3 m).

• June Gloom: A characteristic weather pattern of late spring (May and June) in which a combination of inland heat, off-shore cool water, and prevailing wind patterns bring foggy and overcast weather to coastal regions.

• Marine layer: The cool, moist layer of air coming in from the ocean which typically includes fog. A standard weather phenomenon along the central and southern California coast from late spring to early fall.

• "Earthquake weather:" Any unseasonal, uncomfortable weather, typically hot and more humid than usual, and often associated with high and mid-level clouds, is spoken of (usually jokingly) as "earthquake weather."

The Santa Ana winds in Southern California sweep down wide across the deserts and across the Los Angeles Basin pushing dust and smoke from wildfires far out into the Pacific Ocean. ... Diurnal (daily) rhythm of air pressure in northern Germany (black curve is air pressure) Atmospheric pressure is the pressure at any point in the Earths atmosphere. ... This article is about the mountain range in the Western United States. ... For individual mountains named Rocky Mountain, see Rocky Mountain (disambiguation). ... Humidity is the amount of water vapor in air. ... Chaparral is a shrubland plant community found primarily in California, USA, that is shaped by a Mediterranean climate (mild, wet winters and hot dry summers) and wildfire. ... For other uses, see Wildfire (disambiguation). ... This article is about the tropical jet stream. ... For other uses, see jet stream (disambiguation). ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... Santa Barbara County is a county located on the Pacific coast of Southern California, in the state of California, just west of Ventura County. ... Tule fog (IPA: ) is a thick ground fog that settles in the San Joaquin Valley and Sacramento Valley areas of Californias Great Central Valley. ... For other uses, see Fog (disambiguation). ... The Central Valley of California The San Joaquin Valley (English pronunciation in IPA: [sæn wɑˈkin]) refers to the area of the Central Valley of California that lies south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in Stockton. ... The Sacramento Valley is the portion of the California Central Valley that lies to the north of the San Joaquin-Sacramento Delta. ... The California Central Valley Part of the Valley as seen from overhead A typical Central Valley scene at ground level The California Central Valley is a large, flat valley that dominates the central portion of the U.S. state of California. ... This article is about the temperate season. ... Winter is one of the four seasons of temperate zones. ... Binomial name Schoenoplectus acutus (Muhl. ... Bakersfield redirects here. ... Nickname: Location of Chico in California Coordinates: , Country State County Butte Settled 1843 Founded 1860 Incorporated January 8, 1872 Government  - Mayor Andrew Holcombe  - City Council Scott Gruendl Steve Bertagna Larry Wahl Ann Schwab Mary Flynn Tom Nickell  - City Manager Area  - Total 27. ... “Miles” redirects here. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... June Gloom (also May Gray) is a local term for a Southern California weather pattern that results in overcast skies with low to moderate temperatures during the early summer (sometimes referred to as May Gray when it occurs in late spring). ... A marine layer is a cool, moist, foggy layer of air that can be several hundred feet to as much as two thousand feet thick associated with offshore weather patterns. ... Earthquake weather is a type of weather popularly believed to precede earthquakes. ...

See also

• Climate change
• Global warming

Variations in CO2, temperature and dust from the Vostok ice core over the last 450,000 years For current global climate change, see Global warming. ... Global warming refers to the increase in the average temperature of the Earths near-surface air and oceans in recent decades and its projected continuation. ...

Notes