North Coast
The wettest ground in California, and the narrowest temperature range.
Redwood coast. Storms come off the Pacific with no land upstream to dry them and the first thing they meet is a range that lifts them, so Gasquet and the Smith River drainage clear 100 inches in a wet year — more than anywhere else in the state by a wide margin. The same ocean that supplies the rain also refuses to let the temperature move: Eureka's warmest month averages about 58°F and its coldest about 47°F — an eleven-degree annual swing that is smaller than a single July day in Redding.
- Elevation range
- 0 ft → 6,949 ftHigh point: South Fork Mountain
- Relief
- 6,949 ftTop to bottom, inside this region
- Span
- 147 × 245 miEast–west by north–south
- Annual rainfall
- 38–100″Driest to wettest ground here
- Köppen types
- CsbCfb3 counties
Map of North Coast within California.
The four seasons here
NOT A GENERIC SEASON WITH THE PLACE NAME SWAPPED INWinter
The main event. Frontal systems every few days from November to March, and the atmospheric rivers that make the year.
Spring
Storms shorten and the northwest wind sets in, which starts the upwelling that builds the summer fog.
Summer
Nearly rainless but rarely clear — stratus most mornings, and a July that never really warms.
Autumn
The driest weeks are September and October, and the first real system usually arrives in late October.
Places in this region
3 PLACES, LOWEST FIRST| Place | Elevation | Jan high | Jan low | Jul high | Jul low | Annual precip | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eureka | 43 | 55° | 41° | 63° | 52° | 40.4″ | — |
| Crescent City | 44 | 56° | 42° | 63° | 52° | 58.0″ | — |
| Ukiah | 633 | 57° | 37° | 91° | 56° | 38.9″ | — |
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.