The weather in San Francisco is relatively mild and dry in comparison to the rest of the US. However, as the City is surrounded by the sea/water on three sides, it is windier, foggier and colder than further south in the Bay Area.

Current weather in San Francisco:


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Overall climate:

• The coolest month is January
• The wettest month is February
• The weather can be pretty nasty in summer, starting in June, when it often gets often foggy and cold (but nevertheless dry)
• It's beautiful in September and October, with September being the warmest month

More:

• Sperling's BestPlaces: Climate in San Francisco, California
• WeatherSpark: Historical Weather For The Last Twelve Months in San Francisco, California, USA

The weather in the Bay Area can simply be described as sunny, mild, rarely too hot and rarely very cold. Most of the time it's less windy, foggy and cold than the weather in San Francisco due to the protection by the Santa Cruz Mountains on the western side of the valley.

Current weather:


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Overall climate, for example in Palo Alto:

• An average of 261 sunny days per year
• Less than half of the average rain in the US
• Winter (December-February) is the coolest period with most of the rain
• There is hardly any rain between mid-April and October

More:

• WeatherSpark: Historical Weather For The Last Twelve Months in Palo Alto, California, USA
• Sperling's BestPlaces: Climate in Palo Alto, California

• Shops and other institutions are open almost every day throughout the year, apart from Thanksgiving and Christmas Day
• Apart from these two days, for most holidays, the employers decide which holidays apply to their employees
• Here are some of the relevant holidays for California:
• January 1: New Year's Day
• 3rd Monday in January: Martin Luther King Jr Day
• 3rd Monday in February: Presidents' Day
• March 31: Cesar Chavez Day
• Last Monday of May: Memorial Day
• July 4: Independence Day
• 1st Monday in September: Labor Day
• 2nd Monday in October: Columbus Day
• November 11: Veterans Day
• 4th Thursday in November: Thanksgiving Day (and the day after)
• December 25: Christmas Day 

Image by Fede Racchi via Flickr