Napa Valley Climate
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In short, it's Californian—very
Mediterranean. It's a great place to be a grape, and a very good one to be a
human.
The Napa Valley is far enough inland to
escape most of the fog that lingers along the California coast during summer.
Yet, unlike California's Central Valley, it's close enough to the ocean to take
advantage of the cooling effect of that fog.
It can get hot in the summer, but
usually not too hot. We can expect a week or two during the summer when the
temperatures are around 100° F, usually in July or August, which are the
hottest months. The southern end of the valley, where the city of Napa is
located, is cooler. It's closer to the northern tip of San Francisco Bay, known
as San Pablo Bay. Winds come through the Golden Gate, move upward and cool off
the southern end of Napa County as far as Yountville. They also come over the
hills from the west and Sonoma County's coast.
North of Yountville the valley doglegs
to the left (west). The late afternoon wind from the bay doesn't make the turn,
so the St. Helena and Calistoga areas tend to be much warmer. During the
summer, the temperature upvalley can be ten to twenty degrees (F) warmer than
in the Napa area.
In the winter, it rains—but not a lot.
The county's average annual rainfall for the entire year is less than 24
inches, with over half of that in December, January and February. And it's not
unusual to have temperatures in the 70s and 80s (F) around Christmas time.
The western side of the valley—the
Mayacamas Mountains—gets more rain, apparent by the redwood and fir forests and
numerous streams and waterfalls. The eastern side of the valley—the Vacas
Mountains (named for the Vaca family that settled here in 1841)—tends to be
more desert-like in many areas, with scrub brush and even cactus.
Average Temperatures by Season
Average Temperatures by Month
City
of Napa
Located at 38.30°N 122.28°W.
Height 6m / 19 feet above sea level.
City
of St. Helena
Located at 38.50° N 122.46° W.
Height 68m / 223 feet above sea level
Average Rainfall for Napa County
Info from: http://www.napanow.com/climate.html |
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Terry Wunderlich • DRE# 00619968 •
Email: terry@napawunder.com
• Phone: 707.967.1349 Chris Wunderlich • DRE# 01787555 • Email: chris@napawunder.com • Phone: 707-967-1351
944 Main St • Napa, Ca 94559 | 1508 Main St. • St. Helena, California 94574
