San Francisco Winters

 We have two winters in the San Francisco area along the coast. The first one starts in November or December (depending upon the year) and the 2nd one starts around April or May. This has been for this area a very cold winter by the way.

SF winters can cut you to the bone

It isn't snowy ever but the ocean cold cuts you like a knife

It catches you unaware

I have skied a lot in Mt. Shasta at around 15 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit

But, as long as the sun is out you are warm enough

But, the San Francisco coast if the clouds are out even 45 to 55 can cut you to the bone.

So, I would rather have the dry mountain air with snow and sun rather than the cloudy foggy cold and wet of the coast.

However, it is very beautiful all along the coast especially from Big Sur North on up to Seattle and beyond into Canada. Often the pine trees or the Redwoods are nearby too. There is no tree quite like the 2500 to 5000 year old Redwoods inland which are the Sequoia redwoods. But, along the coast they are a different variety than the Sequoias which live only in the High Sierra mountains.

The 2nd winter like I said starts anywhere now between April and June depending upon the year and you might not see the sun at all for a few months time because of the high fog and clouds pulled in off the ocean during this time of year. However, this fog is what keeps the forests alive year around. So, coastal trees always seem somewhat okay unlike the 36 million wild trees dying now in California inland. And dying wild trees help cause the fire problem especially in the summers because they dry out and catch fire easily.

But, it's very beautiful along the coast like I said from especially Big Sur north on up into Canada which is why people live on the northwest Coast to begin with.