SF to LA in December?
 

I live on the east coast, so excuse this post if it is stupid. Would like to know whether a ride from SF to LA in December is doable/enjoyable weather-wise. I won't be camping. A little rain would be fine. I can take one week off the 3rd week of December. Thanks for your input!! mishmish

Could be OK. The weather service hasn't weighed in on whether or not it is going to be more wet or dry this winter (it's been wetter than usual so far but that is supposedly not a predictor for the rest of the season). They have said it is going to be colder than most winters. That seems to be the case so far. I think coming from the East Coast, the daytime temps won't be much of an issue for you -- probably low 50s, but depending on your gear, you could be cold at night (probably low 40s). The winds are stronger in the winter usually, but also typically in your favor for SF to LA. One thing to keep in mind is that we have less daylight hours than most of the East Coast this time of year.

In short, if it's wet, it will probably be very wet and not much fun. If not wet, it could be quite comfortable. The weather services aren't great at predicting for our region, so it's hard to give you good advice.

Has the weather in California really been wetter than normal this fall? Maybe wetter than the last couple of years, but I think no worse than average for the last 20 years.

And the rain we've had this month is very light by East Coast standards; maybe one or two rain showers per week, no more than half an inch total per week along the coast. Most of the rain has been north of San Francisco so far this year. Southward, the weather has been warmer and drier.

If you're staying in hotels at night, you can always stay an extra night if the weather gets really bad.

in 1995 i flew to SF airport with my bike and rode (and camped some) to san diego. i left on the third week of december. weather was fine... high 50's, 60's and 70's the whole way. very damp at night. used the adventure cycling pacific coast maps. pretty good maps.

I'd plan on doing it, but I'd probably also have a good plan B in place cause we do get very wet winters on occasion.