Why Is 'Climate Best By Government Test' The Slogan For Redwood City?
KPIX 5 Morning Weather Anchor Roberta Gonzales answers the questions you never get to ask on-air.
Q: So, I've always wanted to know: I live in Redwood City, is that considered inland or is that bay on your forecast? It's usually in line with Inland temps, but we're so close to the bay. Either way it's climate best!
–Brandon Plaski, Redwood City
A: It sounds like an easy question, but it's actually a great question with a bit of a "complex" answer!
Our KPIX extended 7 Day Forecast is broken down into three regions: Coast, Bay and Inland. Technically, Redwood City is considered the Peninsula. On my 7 Day Forecast we group the Peninsula with the Bay. However, many of times, Redwood City is a little warmer than the given bay temp, so then you think Redwood City would fall in line with more of an inland grouping. Hmmm. Maybe we need to revisit the design on our 7 Day Forecast! In the meantime, I would consider Redwood City under the bay category.
At one point the National Weather Service was located in Redwood City, until they uprooted to Monterey for a better handle on the entire district, from the Coastal North Bay (including Point Reyes National Seashore) to Northern Monterey Bay. I'm still not sure I agree with the move, however the slogan in Redwood City has stayed: "Climate Best by Government Test." This slogan derives from a climatological report by the United States and German Governments prior to World War I. At one point, Redwood City was tied (by their ranking method) for the world's best climate with the Canary Islands and North Africa's Mediterranean Coast!
A few factoids: Before the recent drought, Redwood City averaged 20 inches of rain per year. The US average is 37 inches. Snowfall is 0. The average number of days with rain is 60. On average, there are 255 sunny days in Redwood City. The July average high is 83 degrees. The January overnight low is 40. BTW, today's forecast high in Redwood City is 64 degrees.
I would love to hear from you! Please send weather questions, observations and photos to me, Gonzales@kpix.cbs.com and I look forward to hearig from you!