Central Coast
The coldest summer water on the coast, and the fog it manufactures.
Upwelling is strongest here. Northwest wind along a coast that runs north-south drives surface water offshore and 50°F water comes up to replace it, so the sea surface off Monterey in July is colder than it is in January. Air crossing it condenses, and the result is the most reliable summer stratus in the state. Twenty miles inland at Salinas the July afternoon normal is already 5°F warmer, and at Paso Robles, sixty miles in, it is 25°F warmer — a gradient you can drive in an hour.
- Elevation range
- 0 ft → 5,862 ftHigh point: Junipero Serra Peak
- Relief
- 5,862 ftTop to bottom, inside this region
- Span
- 151 × 152 miEast–west by north–south
- Annual rainfall
- 12–60″Driest to wettest ground here
- Köppen types
- CsbCsa4 counties
Map of Central Coast within California.
The four seasons here
NOT A GENERIC SEASON WITH THE PLACE NAME SWAPPED INWinter
Wet in the north and along the Santa Lucias — Big Sur takes 45 inches while Salinas, thirty miles inland, takes 15.
Spring
Peak upwelling and the windiest months — April and May run hard from the northwest.
Summer
Fog on the coast, heat in the interior valleys, and essentially no rain anywhere.
Autumn
The clearest, warmest coastal weather of the year, once the upwelling relaxes in September and October.
Places in this region
6 PLACES, LOWEST FIRST| Place | Elevation | Jan high | Jan low | Jul high | Jul low | Annual precip | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monterey | 26 | 59° | 43° | 66° | 54° | 17.1″ | — |
| Santa Cruz | 33 | 62° | 41° | 74° | 54° | 30.6″ | — |
| Salinas | 52 | 63° | 41° | 71° | 54° | 15.4″ | — |
| Big Sur | 190 | 60° | 42° | 75° | 50° | 44.5″ | — |
| San Luis Obispo | 233 | 65° | 44° | 78° | 54° | 22.4″ | — |
| Paso Robles | 721 | 62° | 34° | 90° | 53° | 15.3″ | — |
National Parks in this weather region
FIELD NOTES FROM THE PARK TRANSECTTerrain and gradients
WHAT THE ELEVATION ACTUALLY DOESRanges and passes
A PASS IS A WIND FEATURE FIRSTWho forecasts it
OFFICIAL FORECASTS AND WARNINGS COME FROM HEREGolden State Weather is not a source of watches or warnings. For those, go to the offices above.