Yes, winter does come to San Diego. It begins in about one week. Winters in coastal Southern California are generally mild, due to our arid climate, and the moderating influence of the nearby Pacific Ocean.
Winter storms tend to be short-lived, gray and drizzly. In San Diego, if you want to see occasional snow, you need to head to the mountains of East County, and even then the returning sun and dry desert winds melt it in a day or two. Temperatures at the lower elevations almost never reach freezing.
However, winter storms in San Diego have been known to provide drama!
There have been unusually violent windstorms, huge surf and flooding. A few of those memories have been preserved in photographs on this blog. And so have examples of winter’s unique beauty!
To see photos from past winters, click the following links:
Snow and winter beauty at Cuyamaca.
Boats destroyed by El Niño winds in San Diego.
Photos of San Diego River, after three storms.
Glimpses of nature’s beauty after a storm.
Photos of winter along San Diego River.
A winter’s day full of magical light.
Storm brings huge surf to Ocean Beach Pier.
Amazing vistas atop Mount Soledad.
Signs of the coming big winter storm.
Los Peñasquitos Lagoon between winter storms.
Winter beauty at the Japanese Friendship Garden.
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!