The Climates of California: Is "Sunny California" always sunny?
As early as 1840, author Richard Henry Dana flatly asserted that "California is blessed with a climate of which there can be no better in the world."
The image of the state as a land of perpetual sunshine--"It Never Rains in Southern California," as the song goes--has an obvious appeal. But California's climates are far more complex than the popular image suggests. Indeed, the climates of California are as diverse as those of southern Ireland and the northern Sahara. California has four of the five major climate zones found around the world (only the hot and rainy tropical climate is not represented). Included are the Mediterranean, semi-arid or steppe, desert, and microthermal or Alpine climates.
And no, "Sunny California" is not always sunny! Average yearly precipitation is about 24 inches, with rainfall ordinarily occurring between late October and early May. The heaviest precipitation falls along the northwest coast where annual rainfall ranges up to 110 inches.