San Francisco Weather and Climate

San Francisco is very well known for its pleasant climate and abundant sunshine. The city enjoys a cool summer Mediterranean climate with dry and pleasant summers and the winters are mild and moist. The cool currents from the Pacific Ocean plays a major role, these currents moderates the fluctuations in the temperature and maintains a mild climate throughout the year with very little variations from one season to another.

San Francisco experiences cool winds and fog during the months of summer, influenced by the rising hot winds from the various valleys in the interiors of California creating low pressure areas which draws out the North Pacific High winds. Unlike any other city in the United States, The city of San Francisco has the least mean, maximum and minimum temperatures during the months of June, July and August.

The city of San Francisco is a peninsula, surrounded three sides by the ocean which in turn has a huge influence on the climate of the region. Along with the sharp topography, the region has many microclimates. The center of the city has high hills which act as a barricade protecting the neighborhood to the east from cold and fog. The very same hills are responsible for the variance of about 20 percent in the rainfall annually that occurs in various parts of the city. The eastern regions are sunnier compared to the western part enjoying more than 250 days of clear and sunny skies.

The city experiences a warm spell from May to October with an average maximum temperature of 64F to 71F and an average minimum temperature of 51F to 56F. Rains usually occur from November to April with an annual average rainfall of 20.4 inches. Snowfall is very rare in this region. The temperature during the rainy season ranges from a maximum of 64F to a minimum of46F. The temperature peaks to 75F for no more than 28 days a year.