And we have the most photographed bridge in the world, the healthiest people in the US, the second best public park in the US, the fifth best public market in the US, the oldest Chinatown in the western hemisphere, the largest remaining Japantown, and on and on. 😊
By Anthony Edwards, Newsroom Meteorologist Nov 1, 2025 - San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco has the most “ideal” climate in the United States, second only to San Diego.
That’s according to the Camelot Climate Index, a metric developed by longtime Bay Area meteorologist Jan Null, who describes the “ideal” climate as one that is “relatively mild with few extremes in temperature, humidity or precipitation.”
The data show that San Francisco fits the bill. The city lies within a rare type of “Mediterranean climate” zone, one that is warm and dry in summer and mild and wet in winter. Null said San Francisco’s position on the edge of the cool polar jet stream and the humid tropics means it dodges weather extremes for the most part.
Null’s index accounts for temperature, precipitation, sunshine and humidity. Hot days and cold nights knock the score for a city down, and so do rainy days and ones with high humidity. Values closer to 100 reflect a more perfect climate, in Null’s eyes.
California cities top the list. San Diego leads the scale at 89, San Francisco follows at 87, Los Angeles is closely behind at 86 and Sacramento sits fourth at 80. Other major U.S. cities fall lower in Null’s index, with Miami at 70, New York City at 68 and Houston at 63.
San Francisco ranked as the second most ‘ideal’ climate in the country. This city topped the list
Greg
Quick and Dirty
San Francisco has the most “ideal” climate in the United States, second only to San Diego.
That’s according to the Camelot Climate Index, a metric developed by longtime Bay Area meteorologist Jan Null, who describes the “ideal” climate as one that is “relatively mild with few extremes in temperature, humidity or precipitation.”
The data show that San Francisco fits the bill. The city lies within a rare type of “Mediterranean climate” zone, one that is warm and dry in summer and mild and wet in winter. Null said San Francisco’s position on the edge of the cool polar jet stream and the humid tropics means it dodges weather extremes for the most part.
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Null’s index accounts for temperature, precipitation, sunshine and humidity. Hot days and cold nights knock the score for a city down, and so do rainy days and ones with high humidity. Values closer to 100 reflect a more perfect climate, in Null’s eyes.
California cities top the list. San Diego leads the scale at 89, San Francisco follows at 87, Los Angeles is closely behind at 86 and Sacramento sits fourth at 80. Other major U.S. cities fall lower in Null’s index, with Miami at 70, New York City at 68 and Houston at 63.
San Francisco has the second most "ideal" climate in the U.S.
Based on the Camelot Climate Index developed by meteorologist Jan Null. Numbers closer to 100 reflect a more perfect climate.
Longtime Bay Area meteorologist Jan Null developed the Camelot Climate Index for the “ideal” climate, one that is “relatively mild with few extremes in temperature, humidity or precipitation.” San Diego leads the scale at 89, San Francisco follows at 87, Los Angeles is closely behind at 86 and Sacramento sits fourth at 80. Other major U.S. cities fall lower in Null’s index, with Miami at 70, New York City at 68 and Houston at 63.
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Table with 2 columns and 156 rows. Currently displaying rows 1 to 20. (column headers with buttons are sortable)
San Diego89
89
89
San Francisco87
87
87
Los Angeles86
86
86
Sacramento80
80
80
Eureka79
79
79
Las Vegas78
78
78
Fresno78
78
78
Redding76
76
76
Galveston, Texas76
76
76
Key West, Fla.76
76
76
Tucson, Ariz.76
76
76
El Paso, Texas76
76
76
Yuma, Ariz.75
75
75
Honolulu75
75
75
Kahului, Hawaii75
75
75
Phoenix75
75
75
Seattle74
74
74
Apalachicola, Florida73
73
73
Cape Hatteras, N.C.73
73
73
Lihue, Hawaii73
73
73
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The index accounts for temperature, precipitation, humidity and other parameters.
Table: Anthony Edwards / S.F. ChronicleSource: Jan Null / Golden Gate Weather Services
Of course, it’s a subjective index. While rain, fog, sun and wind carry connotations, weather is a matter of preference. Some may enjoy storms more than others. Heat could be one person’s bane and another’s boon.
Null has worked as a meteorologist in the Bay Area for more than half of a century, which could influence his idea of a perfect climate, and the formulas that go into the index.
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“In some ways that’s skewing it,” Null said. “There are people who love snow, or all you crazy Pacific Northwesterners, you love your rain.”
Null was talking to me, a native of the Seattle area. Although I miss the extremities of the seasons in Washington state, it’s nice to be able to wear the same outfit nearly every day of the year in San Francisco. Overall, I actually prefer it here.