I'm considering making a quick 6 day trip from June 14-19 to San Francisco and the Bay Area (Monterey/Big Sur).

I just wanted to know what the weather in the Bay area at that time of the year.

I'd appreciate some advice. I did spend 2 1/2 months in San Jose/SF for work fom just before Thanksgiving in 2005 to the start of Feb 2006. The weather wasn't that great (it was overcast and raining a lot) but since I was there for a longer period, i did manage to get some good shots in the SF, Yosemite and Big Sur area. I'm only looking going if the weather is generally good during that time.

Hopefully i'll have my 1DIII by then!!

It's very unlikely to be raining in June. However, you often get fog or (more commonly) low clouds coming off the ocean, especially between evening and mid-morning. Some days it's there all day, some days none at all, and often you'll get clouds in the morning and then sun until evening. It all depends on what the local weather pattern is at the time. Sometimes it will do the same thing for many days in a row, other weeks the fog patterns will change day by day.

Dress in layers; when the fog is in, it can get chillier than one would expect for summer (down to maybe 60 F), but warm when the sun comes out (up to maybe 80 F).

On the other hand, for photography purposes, the bridges can look quite cool in the fog...

Lisa

thanks for the info Lisa. What time is generally the best time to visit the Bay area?? I can either go in mid-June or possibly in early August or mid-Nov, we would rather go in June though.

Mid-June and August are probably not much different, except that August will be somewhat hotter on average (and there's slightly more chance of minor rain in June than in August, but it's still very unlikely, and much more minor than winter storms). You can get the intermittant summer fogs either month. So, June vs. August is pretty much a toss-up. Go in June if that works better for you.

Mid-November is a transition climate time. The winter rains (which you experienced before) have started by then in many years. If you really want to avoid the winter weather, it's best to avoid November. October is considerably less likely to have rain, and September rain is very unlikely.

You won't be certain to avoid the fog & low ocean clouds *any* time of year, however. It's just part of the SF experience.

Lisa

Towards the Carmel-Monterey (Buig Sur) area, we get "micro-climes"---weather can change quickly. Fog/overcast in one area can change quickly to clear and sunny---and vice-versa---and in areas in what seem to be just a few miles apart. For example, Monterey could have a fog bank and Carmel sunny---and this could switch in a very short period of time. (Carmel and Monterey are minutes from each other). To make matters more difficult, weather forecasts are frequently inaccurate..... On the bright side, there are many many great areas to shoot---and even with a short trip you should be able to shoot something memorable.

Light tends to be "cooler" on the coast....warming filters can be helpful.

thanks for the advice!! last time i was in the big sur area, i found a couple of good sunset locations. I'd appreciate some advice for sunrise loctaions. Any suggestions???

Many great locations!

Email sent....

Khurram:

For photography location ideas, I would use the following book:
PhotoSecrets San Francisco and Northern California
http://www.photosecrets.com/ssf.html

It has a lot of the "classic shots", postcard locations and ideas of how to plan where to go when (time of day).

Depending on the year, June can be very foggy in the afternoons. The cool sea air hits the hot inland air and drops it on San Francisco and the coast. The result is many times San Francisco and the coast are foggy during sunrise [and sunset].

So, you'll need to be flexible if this is a photo trip and not a family trip For example...One morning SF and the coast is fogged in, so you go to Stanford campus to shoot the chapel. The fog breaks and you head over to the coast for lighthouses and coastlines.

At night the fog is breaking, so for sunrise you head to the Marin headlands or Baker Beach to shoot the GG bridge. That evening, the fog comes in, but isn't bad and you head to Treasure Island to grab sunset over San Francisco and then a night shot.

www.cbs5.com has good weather reports and webcams from buildings and their weather station.

Good luck...hope its a photo trip

Best regards,

Rich
NGOphotographer

Although San Francisco might be foggy, it is quite beautiful in Marin County, and the Wine Country. Napa and Sonoma are gorgeous at that time of year. Fog off the coast can be interesting to shoot.

Let us know when you are going to be here. Maybe we can meet up.

Merrill

San Fran will probably be foggy, at least in the morning. Big Sur, Marin, Stinson Beach should all be amazing. I have taken some shots at Big Sur - my go what a beautiful place!

Enjoy your trip!

Thanks for the advice Rich! I actually did order that book a few days ago. Is Treasure Isaland accessible?? I had heard read on the internet that it was only accessible to miltary?

btw, while it kind of a short vacation for the wife and i ALL my trips are photo trips - much to the chagrin of the wife

does anyone know where Partington Cove is in Big Sur???

I've trained my wife always to have a good (big) book with her wherever we go.

Here's the official information on Treasure Island:

http://www.sfgov.org/site/treasureisland_index.asp?id=286


Enjoy!


Rich
NGOphotographer

Thanks for the link!