Our crazy weather, in a nutshell

Though all bets are off with weather these days, here's my attempt to summarize what's "normal" here. This weeks rain was just weird.

Spring Winds, Summer Fog, Fall warmth, Winter rains, that's the basic pattern, with 3 day islands of perfect beach weather sporadically interspersed. In general, the closer to the coast you are, the cooler and breezier and/or foggier your life will be. The good news is, if you really want sun, you can live in Marin or the Mission or Potrero Hill, and you can still be close to your friends like me who really like the fog and its cycles, or at least don't mind them as much.

The lines of hills block the wind and fog, but they move through gaps in the ridges, at accelerated rates. Also, the fog wall has a lip, that will flow over the tops of the ridges to varying degrees. So if you, the sun lover, live in Noe Valley, for example, you would be happy on the east side of the valley, and your foggy friend would thrive in the fog spillage on the west side, just below Twin Peaks. Where the topography is sharply oriented relative to the wind, you could be two or 3 houses down from your friend and live in different weather universes much of the time. Where I lived in Sausalito, up the hill in Hurricane Gulch (pay attention to a name like that...) I would walk down the street in a down jacket and have to shed it in a block or two.      

The ultimate fog/wind gap is, of course, the Golden Gate. Huge rivers of fog/wind flow through it at speed, so the east bay communities straight across the bay from the gate are cooler then those to the north and south. The northern parts of the city, and the southern parts of Marin are cooler as well. Heading north through the widening Marin peninsula, Mt. Tam rises to block the coastal weather, and it gets warmer and warmer.

Of course, if its REALLY foggy, you'll have to go far, far away from the coast to be warm. Many sensible people make plans to be in the mountains, or anywhere but the bay area coast in Fog-ust. Or you could just make some soup and popcorn, and be glad you don't have to put as much sunscreen on.