“Coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.”… Why?

First, San Francisco is by the ocean, and as many surfers know, the water off the California Coast is cold. In part, because of the California Current, which brings cold water down from Alaska, but also upwelling, which brings cold water from down below up to the surface.

Second, land heats up and cools down faster than water. On a summer day in Sacramento, the land heats up a lot, which then heats the air above the land… occasionally into the triple digits. But the ocean heats up very little, so the air above the ocean stays relatively cool.

Third, during summer, we often have onshore winds. In large part because land heats up faster than water, so air rises over land with air from the ocean rushing in to take its place. As the cold ocean air moves over San Francisco, it acts as a natural air conditioner…
making our summer… feel a bit more like winter.

Here's a more in-depth version of this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQk7XHjTUlo

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