SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — It's a familiar story for San Diego: Coastal clouds nearly every day this time of year, with sunlight struggling to peek through.
Geologist Patt Abbott said that's partly because the water is so cold along the coast.
"That cold water creates a marine layer of air," said Abbott. "And when it's beneath hot air — 10 to 15 degrees hotter — It basically makes a lid."
That lid is called an inversion layer. At this time of year, there tends to be a bigger difference in temperatures between the hot and cold air, making that lid even stronger.
"So here's this cold air, saturated with humidity. As it cools, it can make fog," Abbott said. "Or that moisture can rise beneath that layer, that inversion layer, and creates stratus clouds."
Abbott said those clouds on the coast can block some sunlight, making it cooler by the water.
"Now, if we have heating out to the east and the warm air is rising, then these coastal clouds can move inland and persist," said Dr. Abbott. "They can persist until enough heat comes in that you basically mix those airs together as one."
So, there might not always be sunny skies at the beach this time of year. But it's just a part of living in San Diego.
"You say May gray, June gloom … very gloomy kinds of words," said Dr. Abbott. "For me, I like to look at it as this is the season Mother Nature provides us air conditioning, and then we can simply enjoy cooler temperatures."
