Today's weather in Seattle is amazing! Can anyone currently living in Seattle give me an idea as to how often these type days (few or no clouds, nice blue sky, moderate temps), occur in the East Bay part of the San Francisco metro area? I am considering a move to that area because of a job opportunity in San Francisco. My other half and I have come to the conclusion that we are most likely to own a home in that area if it is in the Berkeley or Oakland area (generally). Without turning this discussion into one of real estate, and realizing that where I may be working in San Francisco has a sort of unique weather situation of its own, what is East Bay weather like? Are there more clear days throughout the year as compared to Seattle? How are the temps, pretty moderate like Seattle from what I can see? Are there weeks of seemingly unbreakable clouds like there are here in the winter (lately spring, summer and fall too). I don't need this type of weather everyday, heck, I grew up in New Jersey with cold and depressing winters. I do miss the fact that even in New Jersey during the winter there were days with some sun. I'm hoping the East Bay area may give me some of that back. I have had difficulty adjusting to the cloudy Seattle weather, even after four years of being here. One last unrelated question, how green and lush is the East Bay area? I'm into landscaping, nice gardens and lush greenery. Am I going to be giving this up? It's been a few years since I've visited and I can't remember too well. Thanks!
Well, today's temps were unusual because we are getting a stream from the general direction of Hawaii. Yeah, it's fairly similar to SFO, more foggy there though. And rarely followed by nasty-cold windstorms like we are expecting. I was just down that way, and there are still things blooming, they have a much longer season for gardening. Actually, the weather in SFO is a big reason why it's so impossibly expensive to live there!
Having lived in the NW for many years (10 in Portland, 1 in Tacoma) and many in the SF Bay Area (12 in SF, 24 in the East Bay), I can unequivocally say that you'll be happy with the weather down here. There are MANY microclimates and it's not unusual to see a 50 degree difference in 50 miles. Particularly in the summer where it can be 50 degrees near the coast and 100 degrees inland, past the Berkeley hills. Oakland and Berkeley are in the middle and have the most moderate temperatures in the Bay Area. That and the great soil makes for best gardening in the Bay Area. Just take a drive around the Berkeley neighborhoods to see what grows there. From orchids and palms to azaleas and rhododendrons, and it's all lush. Many more sunny days than Seattle, and NO rain from June 1 through October 31. Only rare frosts. I think you'd like it.
