I live in Sacramento and boy howdy it was cold on the way in today (by NoCal standards: 28F). It's not impossible, but extremely unlikely we'll ever get freezing rain here (did get a tiny bit of snow yesterday, which is more likely, that just takes cold air). The ground warms up during the days.

I bet my commute's at least as flat as yours. I came from Kansas and I just laugh when people HERE tell me how flat Kansas is. If it wasn't for bridges and overpasses I could easily get by with a single speed.