We(a)ther it matters ?

I spent the better part of my first 17 years growing up in Mumbai. Mumbai would get hot, sometimes really hot in summer, but I wouldn't complain. As a kid, summer holidays were time to go out and have fun. The mercury had no impact on the enthusiasm. My favorite season was the monsoon season, when it would rain regularly for almost 3 months. I remember getting drenched and playing soccer on days when school would get cancelled due to excessive flooding. As a kid, I never complained about the weather, cause I had not seen much outside Mumbai, and my limited knowledge of weather patterns were gathered only through geography textbooks. I learn't that it snowed in Tundra region, it goes to 50C in Sahara and it rains non-stop in Congo. Given these, Mumbai was a heaven.

When I moved to Chennai for the first time, I realised what bad weather could be like.
Chennai had only 3 season - Hot, Hotter & Hottest. The summers were brutal, there was no
monsoon - a little bit of rain and there would be flooding and chaos across the city and I
was happy that my stay there extended only 4 years.

It was then that I crossed the seven seas and set my foot in Pennsylvania. The welcome
fall weather was soon replaced by a frigid winter. The winter contained an entire month of sub-zero high temperatures. 6 months were spent shuttling between Apartment & Department, as all activities came to stand-still. Huddled up in 3-4 layers, I would nostalgically recall the days from Mumbai where I could roam around in T-shirt all year around. The fall and Summer in PA where no doubt wonderful, but then, it constitued only about 50% of the year. By now, I was fully aware of bad weather patters, but I was yet to see a place which has pleasant weather all year around.

When I moved to Los Angeles, the only thing I knew about California was that it doesn't snow, and hence it was going to be a welcome change. My lab mate once told me that the temp in LA stays 75F throughout the year, but I didn't care much, I was just relieved to move to a place where I dont have to face a harsh winter. But only when you experience the weather in Southern California do you come to realise what a good weather should be. Coastal California doesn't get more than 80F in summer, and even these days are supported by cool pacific breeze. The winter low temps dont drop below 45F. In the last 6 months, I have never used my fan, and only used the heater about 10-15 times!.

San Francisco might see days when mercury dips to 38F with overcast skies, Inland Los Angeles might see days when mercury soars to 100F (thanks to mountains), but in my opinion San Diego, probably has the best weather all year around. 75F/50F, Sunny Clear skies - that's your weather forecast 330 days a year !

....It took me 23 yrs to realise this, but with prices like these (ordinary 3 bedroom houses outside my apt), I am just a temporary visitor in this Golden State.