Autumn and Winter are an excuse to wear thicker outerwear in SF… and afford a reason to whip out your smartphone when the sun sets or rises on the horizon.
Northern California has a certain, almost palpable beauty. It exudes Pantones, textures, and tonalities that don’t exist anywhere else in the country, perhaps even the entire planet. (What other region has an iconoclastic name for its reliable marine layer?)
I love the sunrises in San Francisco this time of year@zimpix @hknightsf @peterhartlaub @RobMayeda @Underscore_SF #CAwx @SFGate @nbcbayarea @abc7newsbayarea pic.twitter.com/wlVYZlj5If
— Stuart Berman (@StuInSF) November 21, 2023
Among the things us Bay Area locals, especially San Franciscans, the fall and winter months lend themselves to cotton candy skies and citrus-colored, solar performances.
But why exactly are these cooler months synonymous with skies that could very well double as gallery-worthy oil paintings? Well, there are several reasons — one among them being that our air this year is much drier.
Sunset season is upon us https://t.co/gjfYiDnWV8
— Sutro Tower 🦃 (@SutroTower) November 15, 2023
“Winter is the best season for sunrises and sunsets for a couple of reasons,” ABC7 meteorologist Drew Tuma explains. “We have drier air this time of the year which allows your eyes to see those vibrant colors.”
Air that contains less moisture not only holds fewer particles, but the lack of dampness in the visible atmosphere allows light to pass through more easily without refracting from water droplets.
Yup. For the next 2 months the sunrises and sunsets will be amazing. (Around 640a today from Euclid Ave) pic.twitter.com/pwKvzWMTos
— Dale Freeman (@dsfreem) November 22, 2023
And what wetness does run through the air often collects in “beautiful high cirrus clouds” — wispy, feathery clouds made up entirely of ice crystals that form well above the horizon. Because of their frozen nature, whatever light hits them bounces right off, magnifying the exquisite blushes in the morning and the evening skies.
“The yellows, the oranges, and the reds out there,” Tuma continues.
So soak up all the sunrises and sunsets you can this most autumnal and wintry time of the year; feel no shame unholstering your iPhone 12 Pro to capture a rather prepossessing iteration of our solar system’s star dipping below or rising above our entropic space rock.
Feature Image: Courtesy of Stuart Berman
