San Francisco Weather - As Unpredictable as the City Itself Is

If I had to wrap up San Francisco weather in a word it would be: unpredictable! I have been to the city the day after Christmas and it has been sunny and 75°. I also have been there in the middle of the summer and it is foggy and cold and I wish I had on my long underwear.

Fog is a fact of life when talking about San Francisco weather. Because of the San Francisco Bay and the coastal fog which acts as air conditioning and insulation in a natural way temperatures rarely drop below 40° and usually never rises above 70°. September and October are the hottest months and the coolest are December and January.

I took my Segway Scooter tour in October. It was a balmy 75 and there wasn't a cloud in the sky!

Spring and autumn are ideal times to visit San Francisco. The winter can be cold, rainy and foggy but it is less crowded and easier to get around. Summer is peak tourist season as the kids are out of school and the sun is shining. Crowds are also at their peak. Fog can drift in frequently though and come from the Pacific Ocean and spill through the Golden Gate and blanket the city in the mornings and evenings.

I personally love the excitement of not knowing exactly what the weather will be! But generally I would say I dress for it to be cold and then peel off layers as the sun comes out.

I guess you need to ask yourself: do I want to go with tons of people and fight the crowds - this would be June through October or would I like to go during the tourist off season of November through March? Obviously they both have their pros and cons.

Each 15 minutes the camera moves and takes photos from its different preset positions.

It's kind of fun to see what San Francisco looks like live! It shows you live pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge and the waterfront.