May Gray has descended upon coastal cities in California, boo. If you've never visited during that time, your not missing out. My Dad actually says that the coldest he's ever been in June was the week he visited us one year. May Gray/June Gloom is a marine layer that covers the entire coast for a few months in Spring and makes the whole day colder. It's really not that bad until your BBQ/beach day/other outside event, is brought down by all the fog. Sometimes it breaks during midday for a few hours but mostly its just gloomy. This is a picture of Torrey Pines during June Gloom. Bummer.
Here's what Wikipedia has to say about it. "June Gloom (also May Gray) is a California term for a weather pattern that results in overcast skies with mild temperatures during the late spring and early summer. The condition is prevalent in many parts of the world where marine stratus or stratocumulus clouds are common, particularly off the western coasts of continents—especially off Peru, Namibia, Western Australia, and California. Such cloud systems are persistent year-round off the coast, yet in certain seasons they blow ashore and create the gloomy "May Gray" effect on land. The June Gloom phenomenon has also been known to occur during the early fall in California.
Early mornings during this period are typically foggy, with an occasional drizzle. The fog turns to low clouds by late morning and early afternoon. Finally, by late afternoon, solar heating is sufficient to evaporate the clouds. Often the overcast will be evaporated ("burned off") quickly inland, but will linger along the immediate coast.
In California, the number of days from May to June that are gloomy vary from year to year. Cooler ocean temperatures, associated with La Niña, usually foretell a more gray period.
June Gloom has been reported by some Californians to bring on symptoms consistent with seasonal affective disorder. It is often cited as a time of depression."
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