Question about the California weather..

[HornedKing81]

Hello! Im from Orlando, FL. and I'm planning on going to Disneyland next weekend - Dec. 13th - Dec. 16th for the first time! The weather calls for upper 60's for the day - and I know some people have told me the weather in california is different from Florida because of the humidity..so my question is how should we pack for clothes.. is it too cold for shorts? Thanks!!

 

[Nanseev]

My best advice would be to dress in layers. Mid-day, I think you'd be fine in shorts...but by the time night comes around (and early morning for that matter), you will probably want jeans/pants. Once the sun goes down, it definitely cools off.

I usually base my clothes decision not only on what the highs are, but what the lows are going to be too!

 

[Sherry E]

It is almost always too chilly for shorts at night in December! And that week has some rain in the forecast - though maybe not on those specific days - so it will likely be a little cooler and gloomier in the daytime. I tried wearing a sweater in the daytime at DLR last December, and I was too warm. But as soon as nighttime rolled around, I had on a turtleneck and a big coat! It dropped down to 40-something degrees. It can get very chilly in December - more so than people realize - for California standards. It it not going to be 10 degrees, but I have been there in December before where it was 30 degrees! Too cold for shorts, but cold enough for earmuffs and mittens!! And hot cocoa!!

 

[Lostgirlz]

First visit ever March 06 they said it was the coldest they had seen at that time of year. We brought lots of shorts, but thankfully had jeans also. Just went Halloween was nice for shorts, used a light hoodie during the day, got cool at night, so changed to jeans. Cali is far from humid like Florida where you can feel the heaviness, the air is just much lighter.

 

[mom4princesses]

So would you say it gets to hot for pants during the day? Keep in mind we are from AZ. I have 5 kids so wasn't planing on bringing any shorts, would be to much to pack for everyone. We are going from the 12th to 20th. Thanks

 

[Krissy Marissy]

Bring warm clothes! If you are used to fl weather you will be cold. The air will not have that warm wet feeling to it. When we went in december it was quite chilly all day and especially at night! We all ended up buying scarves and gloves and hats. In some of our pictures even during the day we had red lil noses lol So just be prepared for the chill. It wouldn't hurt to bring a pair of shorts but honestly unless you wear shorts in any kind of weather pants may be best.

 

[pixiewings71]

I live in CA and I don't wear shorts in the winter, So Cal or Nor Cal it's too cold.......I wear jeans and always have long sleeves, sweatshirts and a coat just in case.

 

[Sherry E]

Bring warm clothes! If you are used to fl weather you will be cold. The air will not have that warm wet feeling to it. When we went in december it was quite chilly all day and especially at night! We all ended up buying scarves and gloves and hats. In some of our pictures even during the day we had red lil noses lol So just be prepared for the chill. It wouldn't hurt to bring a pair of shorts but honestly unless you wear shorts in any kind of weather pants may be best.

I have had those red lil noses moments too! And lil red ears! Sometimes, December can hit you when you are not looking as far as the chill! People who have never been to California before sometimes think it is non-stop heat and sunshine. My friend was freezing last year and had to wrap her neck scarf around her nose, and it was probably in the 40's or so, maybe 50 degrees at most!! It was hilarious! Of course, I didn't think it was that cold that such drastic measures were necessary, but I definitely had a big bulky coat on, a turtleneck and gloves! And I have had to break out the Mickey woolen hat and earmuffs on occasion in the past, when it was like 30 degrees! So, no need to break out the snowshoes, but definitely bring long pants and longsleeved shirts! It is also dry too!

It is a desert state, and deserts can get cold at night!

 

[LavenderPeach]

In the winter I would wear pants/jeans and forget the shorts. Just bring some short-sleeved shirts if the weather is going to be warm and then bring sweatshirts/jackets to layer on top. Even if it is in the 70s during the day, it will most likely be pretty chilly in the morning and evening. I don't think you should be misserably hot in pants, even if it's warm so to me it's worth wearing pants so you're ready for when the sun goes down. HTH!

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

We're here now. It is NOT shorts weather, at least in my opinion. I wore jeans and a long sleeve shirt until about 3pm then threw on a sweatshirt. On the way back to the room my fingers were numb, that was around 6pm (that is not normal though, I'm a freak of nature )

I did see people dressed shorts but I thought it was too cold for that. Low 70's or upper 60's I think.

 

[HornedKing81]

thanks everyone!! Im just really excited to visit Disneyland for the first time!! I CAN'T WAIT !!

 

[Disney Dreams]

It is VERY different than Orlando. The humidity factor makes it completely different.

We were at the park all day on 12/5.

Everyone in our group (all adults) wore some variation of the following:
- Jeans
- Either t-shirts or 3/4 sleeves in the day
- Lightweight sweatshirt / jacket in the early evening
- Warmer jackets in the evening (we stayed until midnight closing)
(these were tucked into a locker during the day)

60 in So. Cal. truly means 60. Last night I think my car said it was 57 when I was coming home from a friend's place around 11pm and it was a bit chilly.

Hope this helps,
Dreams

 

[TiggerNZ]

hehehehehe - am very amused at the weather descriptions. Honestly for me right now here in Wellington NZ, it is about 60 degrees and it is almost shorts weather - everyone here breaks out the shorts and strappy tops as soon as it hits mid 60's!

This past week has been sunny - but probably nothing higher than mid-70's!

so 40's isn't cold to me I may be one of those people wearing shorts whilst everyone else is all rugged up!

Think I'll pack jeans and jumpers though - especially with heading onto the UK afterwards - Brrrrrr!

 

[Disney Dreams]

...so 40's isn't cold to me

40 F or C?

 

[TiggerNZ]

40 F - 40c would be baking hot!!!!!!

 

[SueTGGR]

I think what makes So Cal cold is the damp fog layer that rolls in and out. The temp of the day depends on how quickly it gets burned off. It is always a good idea to layer in the am and then keep those layers handy for when the sun starts to set. We are headed there this weekend and I'm thinking I will only pack one pair of shorts just in case it warms up.
Enjoy!

 

[Tasscrapper]

I just got back. I live in Utah which can be significantly colder than Anaheim. I really thought we would be fine in shorts and short sleeved shirts with maybe a hoodie at night. Thankfully we did take pants and jeans too. It was foggy and chilly in the mornings but would normally burn off and be nice for several hours in the day. By about 5 oclock (or whenever the sun went down) it got very chilly. My dd was happy she had her sweatshirt with her the whole day one day then regretted not having it the next even though the morning started out nice. There was one day in the five we were there that would have been ok at night without a jacket or sweatshirt of some kind. My 6 year old son was fine most of the time with just a long sleeve shirt which is what he likes to wear even in summer.

Something to keep in mind is that most of your time is spent outdoors and the prolonged exposure to the cold will build up. It's not like going from a car to a building and being ok. I also found that several of the rides themselves were freezing. I'd be cold outside then get on the ride and get colder.

 

[Padstack]

As a follow-up for the OP. I was just in Orlando last week and the weather will be very similar to what it was like then. Somewhat warm during the day and very cold at night. I was at MVMCP on Tuesday night wearing a jeans, t-shirt, long sleeve shirt and jacket and was still cold. It got down to about 45 F that night, which is what is predicted for the weekend here in So Cal. Looks like the only difference is going to be the rain, which is nothing like the Florida showers that last only half an hour or so.