National Weather Service Bay Area (2024)

FAQs

How would you describe the weather in the Bay Area? ›

In the South Bay and further inland, while the winter season is cool and mild, the summer season is characterized by warm sunny days, while in San Francisco and areas closer to the Golden Gate strait, the summer season is periodically affected by fog.

Te Bay Area is characterized by a Mediterranean-type climate, defned by its cool, wet winters and warm, dry summers.

San Francisco is a beautiful city to visit all year. It has a moderate maritime climate with mild winters and summers. Due to the city's close proximity to the Pacific Ocean, temperatures are steady throughout the year with averages of 45°F to 72°F.

There are 122 NWS Weather Forecast Offices across the nation serving areas that typically consist of 20 to 50 counties (more info). Each office has its own social media accounts to keep you informed and up-to-date on the latest forecasts, watches and warnings for the local area.

Where did the name come from? In 2010 an anonymous person began a Twitter account for the San Francisco Fog, inspired by the fake BP public relations account that appeared after the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that year, and named “Karl the Fog” after the misunderstood “Karl the Giant” in the 2003 film Big Fish.

July is always the hottest month of the year in the Bay Area.

Although the Bay Area broadly falls under zone 10a and 10b of the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, the localized weather pattern and microclimates differ widely across this region. Based on your location, you will know whether you fall under 'foggy' or 'sunny' conditions.

"San Francisco tops the list in the Bay Area at $131,000," Rebecca Sowell with Consumer Affairs said. "That's the minimum income in order to live a comfortable lifestyle."

Is San Francisco expensive to live in? ›

The cost of living in San Francisco, CA is 23% higher than the state average and 71% higher than the national average. San Francisco, CA housing is 187% more expensive than the U.S average, while utilities are about 42% pricier.

The latter parts of August, along with September, October, and November, are ideal months for exploring “The City by the Bay”. These months typically see the best weather. One thing to keep in mind is that hilly San Francisco is surrounded by water on three sides. All of this cold water affects the local climates.

The National Weather Service (NWS) is a component of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). NOAA is an Operating Unit of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Current Organization

The National Weather Service (NWS) is the operational weather services component of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), an agency of the United States Department of Commerce.

The employees of the NWS gather data from satellites, Doppler radar, buoys, computer models, and high-speed communication systems.

Much of California has a Mediterranean-like climate with warm, dry summers and mild, wet winters. On the coast, the average daily high temperature hovers around 70°F and up, but can occasionally spike to 80°F or more on hottest summer days; freezing temperatures are rare, even in winter.

Climate is defined as an area's long-term weather patterns. The simplest way to describe climate is to look at average temperature and precipitation over time.

The climate of the San Francisco Bay Area is broadly classified as a Mediterranean Climate, which generally means that summers are dry, sunny, and warm and winters are mild, wet and occasionally stormy.

Weather is defined as the state of the atmosphere at a given time and place, with respect to variables such as temperature, moisture, wind speed and direction, and barometric pressure.