Yes, we have weather on the Mendocino Coast... and it's usually sunny, except when it's cloudy, raining, stormy, foggy and, er... at night. But, seriously, most of us who live here think the weather along our coast is wonderful! What is more important, we don't have frigid cold, ice and snow... and we don't have "can't-stand-it-another-minute" heat!

What we do have -- through our coastal influence -- is refreshingly cool, comfortable weather year round. The average monthly temperature in August, for example, is only around 65 degrees (F).

FOG: Yeah, we have some of that, too... mostly in July and August and, when it feels like it, it hangs around sometimes in September. Once again, we like it. It keeps us cool when, in July and August, everyone else is baking in the heat, especially in the inland valleys. And it gives us something to complain about when we’re socked in for more than a day or two and we begin to feel just a little moldy. But it makes for beautiful pictures as the fog creeps in from the ocean, just touches the coast or whispers up the river valleys. It’s mysterious and maybe a little romantic.

STORMS: No, no... we don’t have storms here! OK, sometimes we do. But they can be wonderfully dramatic and awe-inspiring. And, lately, there are people who watch the weather forecasts and come to the coast to "Storm Watch". They want to be here for the experience of walking along the Headlands to watch huge, wind-lashed waves pound in from the sea and crash against the rocks and bluffs. Or, if they’re a little less hardy, they sit at their picture window in front of a log fire… you get the picture.

WEATHER-WISE PACKING: Even if you’re acclimated to cool, coastal weather, you’ll be wise to bring sweaters and light jackets even in summer. In winter, you might consider heavier sweaters, heavier jackets and, for God’s sake, bring rain-gear!