By Mike Stetz
Ahh…
Winter is in full swing, and I am loving it.
Baby, it’s not cold out there …
It’s not up to your knees out there …
(Yes, I know that Christmas song is considered crass by some, given how a man uses a cold night to convince a woman to spend more time with him. The good news? That kind of a play won’t work in San Diego!)
Winter in San Diego is uniquely cool in that it is just wee bit cool, temperature-wise. I can still wear shorts, though. When the temperature spikes, I’ll even jump in the ocean.
And there’s plenty of room in there, given that the people in Arizona aren’t here in droves ‘cause they’re enjoying the only two weeks or so of bearable weather they get annually.
It’s heaven. We actually own the joint. (And, man, it’s getting more expensive all the time to own the joint, given housing costs, so take advantage.) Consider that we got 2 million visitors during the month of January last year. In July, that number ballooned to more than 4.5 million.
As mentioned, the temperature cools — but not dramatically so. The average high is 65 in January. It’s why you might see someone wear this thing called a sweater. January has, on average, seven days when the temperature exceeds 70. Off goes the sweater!
In July, the average high temperature is 75. So we’re not talking about a big swing here. It’s a baby swing.
And let’s talk sunshine. The winter months are among the sunniest. In January, it’s sunny 72 percent of the time, compared to June, when it sunny just 58 percent of the time.
While it’s mostly sunny, the winter does bring what little rain San Diego gets. And it can be sweet, getting a taste of weather after months of no weather. The rain cleans the air. The plants love it.
And it rarely rains long.
For me, this is an amazing turnaround. I used to hate winter. That’s because I’m from the East Coast.
I hated East Coast winters for the obvious reasons: the cold, the snow, the sleet, the heating bills, the shoveling, the heavy overcoats that got even heavier when wet. I remember needing to heat up a tea kettle and use the hot water to unfreeze my frozen car door lock.
Up until early May …
And those kind of punishing memories stick with you. So when I came to San Diego, and the calendar turned to January, I still grimaced.
I was always a summer kind of a guy, as well. I like going to the beach and splashing around in the ocean.
Now?
Winter has become my favorite season. It’s mellow, chill and offers amazing sunsets.
So, yes, by all means, bring on February. (Average high temperature? It’s 65!)
