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World’s Best Climate
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It’s more than a local’s license plate frame. San Clemente is nestled between two large coastal canyons. To the south are the San Mateo/Christianitos canyons and to the north are the Saddleback Valley/Ortega canyons. Together these canyons both block and funnel storms. It’s possible to stand at the end of the pier with blue sky above and be surrounded by clouds on the horizon. During the El Nino years those canyons act as funnels giving San Clemente more than it’s fair share of rain.
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Beach Fog
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It may be a blazing hot summer day but within a block of the beach it can be pea soup fog. The concept is simple. When the warm dry air hits the cool ocean it cools and condenses creating fog. On a good day this clears up by noon but it’s not unusual to stay foggy all day. Remember you can get sunburned in the fog just as quickly as direct sun...only you don't know it's happening!
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Cold Water and Wind
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When the wind blows hard down the coast the water gets colder. When the wind blows up the coast from the South it gets warmer. It has to do with living on the upper half of a spinning globe. The surface water slowly moves at a right angle to the direction of the wind so when the wind blows from the North it pushes the upper water offshore and the colder bottom water fills in near the coast. You get cold swimming. In the spring and summer the south winds set in and the water warms up.
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Catalina Eddy
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Sometimes called June Gloom or just the summer beach blues the Catalina Eddy can make our May, June and sometimes even July overcast for days on end. It’s caused by northwest winds that spin around Catalina Island and back up the coast in a counter-clockwise rotation. That means onshore flow of low clouds and fog. For surfers it means south wind and sloppy surf but for those living inland it’s like turning on the air conditioning.
Check the link below for more detail on Catalina Eddy.
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More information on Catalina Eddy
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