April or Aug in California?

[alisonbestford]

Still mulling over our potential Californian trip.........

To those of you who've been before can you tell me what the weather's like in April?

I originally asked on the California board but thought I'd ask in the UK section as we're all used to our unpredictable Summers.....

I'd like to go to the beach but don't need it to be blisteringly hot and am thinking August might be too extreme for driving and queueing

 

[dixonsontour]

We went 29/3 for 16 nights.

Weather was fine on the coast - not too hot - i've got 3/4 trousers and t shirts on in my pics.

BUT we had a few nights at yosemite in a tent cabin and it snowed I was freezing - I can remember begging them for extra blankets. The pass was shut aswell meaning we had to take a longer route around. Not sure if typical or not - have never lived it down with DH booking us in a tent in the snow.

 

[alisonbestford]

BUT we had a few nights at yosemite in a tent cabin and it snowed I was freezing - I can remember begging them for extra blankets.

Originally was thinking about August but I've been having second thoughts today as DBF and DD have been huffing and puffing their way through the sunshine

 

[pigby]

We went in July last year and April this year - stayed in Anaheim both times.

Even in July we got a mixed bag with the weather - in the middle of our stay it hit mid 90's but some mornings and evenings were cool (cool enough to wear a hoody top - as opposed to coats). The day we had a beach trip, it was cool and cloudy all day and we wore hoodys all day but temperatures can hit over 100's sometimes in summer - check out historic temperatures on wunderground.com.

In early April it wasn't so hot in the daytime but still reached about 80 some daysbut we still spent most days around the pool at some point. Again, we needed sweatshirts at night.

If you are going to mostly Disneyland, bear in mind that the South Californian Annual passes are unblocked again in mid August and as a lot of the visitors are locals, that leads to an increase in crowds. Then again in April we got some of the Spring Break crowds - most had already had their Spring Breaks though and we snuck in just before the Easter crowds arrived.

 

[steve_rob]

Also worth noting is that the California Adventure expansion is due to be finished in the middle of 2012, so if you go in April, while quite a lot of it will be done, there will still be a fair amount of construction going on (for example, the new Cars themed land won't be open). It should all be completed by June, so August would be a perfect time to see the whole new park.

Weather-wise, while I haven't been in August (late May is the nearest I get), I can say that while Anaheim can get hot, it's not normally ridiculously so - I've certainly experienced worse in Florida. However, if you stray inland from there, it can get very uncomfortable. We spent a day at San Diego's Wild Animal Park where it was over 100 degrees in the shade and who knows how hot in the sun.

 

[rpbert1]

We where there July till beginning of August, and actually was surtprised how cool it was . Mornings where not warm at all, did warm up a bit, but not really that hot, this was beside the beach at Long Beach, we did go inland and it did get warmer, we did spend some time on the beach , but the wind coming of the water was actually quite cool, and the water was not much better.
My Niece is there at the minute and said it was not as hot as she was expecting, rather cool was her words.

 

[paulh]

may cold go August
Paul

 

[irenep]

Only been June and July and the temperature those times was pretty good overall but even so SF was cold in the morning and evening. Even LA took a while to warm up in the daytime and the breeze off the ocean was a bit chilly!

I think April/May would be a bit on the cool side and if you are thinking of doing Yosemite then you should check out their website to see what is likely to be open that time of year as I known some parts will still be snow-bound.

 

[OldKeyWelsh]

We went in August 2 years ago and found it very warm but not uncomfortably so in LA (Malibu), while further inland (Palm Springs) it was blisteringly hot, 110 degrees some days.

 

[alisonbestford]

Thanks everyone......Time to stop thinking for a while now I think

It'll be easier for us to go in Aug with Eve having the 6/7 weeks hols for us to play with but had thought about April for my 50th..............

I'll try to be patient and wait for the Summer flights/fly drives to be released (only Florida ones out at the moment unless anyone can tell me otherwise?)

 

[disneyholic family]

Still mulling over our potential Californian trip.........

To those of you who've been before can you tell me what the weather's like in April?

I originally asked on the California board but thought I'd ask in the UK section as we're all used to our unpredictable Summers.....

I'd like to go to the beach but don't need it to be blisteringly hot and am thinking August might be too extreme for driving and queueing

it's a bit difficult to say what the weather is in california - it all depends where you are....south, north, coast, inland, mountains, etc.

i've been to california in December, January and July...
i have to say i much preferred the winter to the summer....
but i was there in July, not August....so perhaps August is more comfortable..

July in DL/DCA was as uncomfortable for us as Orlando - though it was an unusually warm summer they said...

the times i was there in the winter, i was coming from many feet of snow in the midwest, so anything even slightly warmer would be nice..
i remember wearing a long sleeve shirt but no jacket...and that was on several different trips...both when we were in SF and LA....

but i've never been in April or August..

but forget weather....if there is the chance that the expansion might be done by August, i'd go in August...

 

[alisonbestford]

Have to say August would be much easier to plan..........Just have to see how the prices are now

 

[originalkk]

We went early last August and, from SF down to Anaheim, they were still experiencing the effect of the marine layer covering the coast (as far inland as Anaheim). This made the mornings grey and chilly, but this would tend to burn off by late morning. It would then be quite hot (but nowhere near as humid as in Florida). Apparently this was unusual, as the "June Gloom" has normally gone from Southern California by August.

I've also been to Orange County in late Feb some years ago, and temps were around 70F, with sunshine all week.