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Weather
Because the hills, mountains, and large bodies of water produce such vast
geographic diversity within this region, the Bay Area offers a significant
variety of microclimates. The areas near the Pacific Ocean are generally
characterized by relatively small temperature variations during the year, with
cool foggy summers and mild rainy winters. Inland areas, especially those
separated from the ocean by hills or mountains, have hotter summers and colder
overnight temperatures during the winter. Few residential areas ever experience
snow, but peaks over 2000 feet are often dusted with snow several times each
winter (including Mount St. Helena, Mount Hamilton, Mount Diablo, and Mount
Tamalpais). The coast north of San Francisco, where year-round cool, moist
conditions enable redwoods to grow, has almost nothing in common with Livermore,
just 40 miles inland across the bay, which has desert-like precipitation and
heat. San Jose at the south end of the Bay averages fewer than 15 inches of rain
annually, while Napa at the north end of the Bay averages over 30 and parts of
the Santa Cruz Mountains just a few miles west of San Jose get over 55. In the
summer, inland regions can be over 40 degrees Fahrenheit (22 degrees Celsius)
hotter than the oceanic coast when a hot spell is breaking down.
Skyline Boulevard stretches through the Santa Cruz Mountains, here near Palo
Alto, California. During winter and spring, the hills surrounding the Bay Area
are lush and green.
Rain is rare in the Bay Area during the summer months. As a result, the
surrounding hills quickly become dry and golden-hued in grassy areas.
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