Different Climates in California State

California State has a diverse range of climates spread throughout the region. Temperature differences between the higher latitudes of the north and the lower latitudes of the south play a large role in the weather patterns, as do elevation changes between the Mediterranean-like coast and the near-subarctic temperatures of the high peaks. Not to mention the deserts, plateaus, valleys and forests that experience vastly different climates depending on where in the state they are. 

So, while average winter temperatures in Los Angeles may hover around 20 degrees below its average summer temps, places like San Francisco might experience little change in their average temperatures at all. Or, if you’re in a place like Death Valley, you might see summer temperatures double from winter ones. 

These wildly different climate patterns are influenced by elevation, latitude, precipitation and ocean currents, and California sure has a lot of variety when it comes to these. By using the Köppen climate classification system (a system used to define climate boundaries around the world), we can see that California alone has four of the five global climate zones and ten different climate subdivisions! 

Here they are, along with their classification letters.

Different Climates in California State

Tundra (ET)

While we may not think of California having a tundra climate, the very highest peaks in the  Sierra Nevada mountain range do experience Tundra-like conditions where the temperature of the warmest month hovers somewhere between 30-50 degrees Fahrenheit. A little chilly, for sure. 

Dry-summer subarctic (Dsc)

Just below the Tundra-like peaks are slivers of subarctic climates that are usually only found in high-altitude areas in a few places like the Eastern Sierra Nevada, Iran, Eastern Washington, Turkey and Kyrgyzstan. These climate areas experience dry summers and only a few months above 50 degrees Fahrenheit. The coldest months get to around 25 degrees Fahrenheit, but no lower than -36 degrees. This means winters can vary fairly significantly throughout the season. 

Moral of the story, check the weather forecast before you go alpine camping!

Warm-summer Mediterranean continental (Dsb)

This more humid region is not too common in California but is still found in some areas on the Eastern Sierra Nevada. Basically, these little regional pockets have their warmest months anywhere between 50 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit, making them perfect for summer hiking and camping!

Cold-summer Mediterranean (Csc)

This and the next two groups (Csc, Csb and Csa) are all characterized by dry summers of less than 1.5 inches of rain, and significantly wetter winters with at least three times the amount of precipitation as in the summer. Average winter temperatures are fairly equal, with all of them averaging out at above freezing in even the coldest months. The only difference is that this Cold-Summer Mediterranean usually only has 1-3 months of temperatures higher than 50 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer.

Warm-summer Mediterranean (Csb)

With similar winters to the previous region, the Warm-summer Mediterranean regions in California see summer temperatures hovering comfortably below 72 degrees.  

These regions include nearly all of the California's coast to the north of Los Angeles, as well as Northeastern California and the Sierra Nevada foothills. Unlike the hot Mediterranean sea, the Pacific Ocean brings cool currents to the comparatively higher altitude Californian coast, resulting in cooler summer temperatures.

Hot-summer Mediterranean (Csa)

More akin to its namesake region is this hot Mediterranean climate which can reach average summer temperatures higher than 72 degrees Fahrenheit. Much of the Central Valley and Southern California experience these blistering hot summers and mild winters, including the Angeles State Forest, Santa Clarita, Sacramento and as far north as Redding. 

Cold semi-arid (BSk)

This is where things start to merge slowly into desert-like climates, which the remaining climate sub regions all fall into. South from Los Angeles, we see the coastline get colder winters (with at least one month averaging below freezing) with warm/hot summers, usually around higher plateaus. bordering the hot-summer Mediterranean regions. It’s in these regions that we start to see larger temperature fluctuations during the day, sometimes by as much as 30 degrees’ difference! 

Places like Fresno, Visalia and Edwards Air Force Base fall along these narrow bands of climate. 

Hot semi-arid (BSh)

Only very few regions experience this climate in California, those being San Bernardino, Downtown Los Angeles,  Pasadena and Santa Ana. Like we said, only a really tiny area gets this weather.

Cold desert (BWk)

Now we start getting to the really good stuff!

Cold desert regions experience dry seasons all year ’round, with colder winters than those of a hot desert. One of the best ways to see the differences between cold and hot deserts is to visit Joshua Tree National Park, which includes both the slightly cooler, higher Mojave Desert and the lower, hotter Colorado Desert. 

Hot desert (BWh)

Finally, we get the hottest, driest regions of the state which include most of southeast California, the most famous of which being the Mojave Desert and Death Valley. These hot deserts get some of the hottest temperatures on the planet, with the highest temperature ever recorded reaching 134 degrees Fahrenheit in Death Valley. Temperatures plunge at night without the sun scorching the barren ground, and winter days can drop from a balmy 70 degrees to near-freezing nights. There is little to no rain, no cloud cover and some of the most extreme heat you’ll find anywhere on the planet. And to think, there are subarctic regions just mere hours away!

With so many diverse climate regions in just one state, it sure makes exploring and traveling an adventure! If you live in our Southern California apartments (which, it just so happens, falls into the hot semi-arid region!), then make sure to check your weather forecast for your next day trip or hike!

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Featured photo courtesy Pixabay/12019

Graphic photo courtesy Adam Peterson, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons