FAIRFIELD — Warm, dry summers and mild, somewhat rainy winters are what Solano County residents expect from their weather thanks to a benign climate.
Located on the boundary between the San Francisco Bay Area and the Central Valley, the county offers several variations on this climate.
Cooler, maritime temperatures with a touch of morning fog thrown in can be found in Vallejo and Benicia in western Solano County, with sunny, breezy afternoons with average temperatures in the high 70s thanks to the San Francisco Bay.
The Dixon and Vacaville areas in the Central Valley have hotter summer temperatures that average into the 90s, with hills that block the Delta breezes that cool off the western side of the county. While this area escapes the morning coastal fogs, it gets the nighttime tule fogs.
If there is an average climate to be found, it is in the Fairfield and Suisun City areas in the middle of the county, with hot temperatures offset by the west winds from the Carquinez Straits.
Solano County’s average temperature is 60.4 degrees, which is only about a degree lower than the state’s average of 61.1 degrees. It is still much higher than the national average of 54.4 degrees, according to 32 years of data collected by USA.com.
The county’s maximum high temperatures peak in July with an average of 91 degrees while Solano County gets coldest in January with an average minimum of 37.7 degrees.
An average 26.7 inches of rain falls on Solano County annually, nearly four inches more than the state average 22.9 inches. Residents can expect to need an umbrella only about 43 days out of the year. Solano County gets most of its rain during a five-month period that starts in late November.
These temperatures and rainfall have made areas such as Suisun Valley, Green Valley and the Vacaville area prime land for orchards and vineyards while making the Montezuma Hills and the area around Dixon excellent for ranching.
The average wind speed is 16.3 mph countywide, but some parts of the county — such as Cordelia Villages and the southern rolling hills with their population of wind turbines — get some good, steady breezes.
Reach Ian Thompson at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ithompsondr.
