By Sabastian Dauphinee

It is not official but summer and the main tourist season in San Diego start Memorial Day weekend. SeaWorld and many of the other places like the Zoo and Wild Animal Park gear up for an increase in crowds. SeaWorld begins its nightly fireworks show on the weekends, after July 4th the fireworks are every night of the week. Cottage and condo rentals along the coast and San Diego hotel room prices kick-up a notch, they go up again on July 4th.

This is the best time of year for travelers to enjoy the water. The ocean temperature will climb up to the high 60′s and the low 70′s. Warm enough to leave off the wetsuit but cool enough to be refreshing if the temperatures climb. Speaking of temperatures, the day time highs can range from about 80 along the coast to into the 100′s when you get inland to places like the Wild Animal Park. In addition, the evenings along the coast can get cool. Right along the water, the ocean or one of the bays, the temperatures can drop into the low 60′s, so if you go to an outdoor concert anywhere, be sure to pack a jacket in you luggage. Also in June, San Diego has what is called the marine layer. The clouds will roll in and hang over the beach much of the day. As the month progresses the clouds will pull back earlier and earlier in the day. San Diego locals call it May Gray and June Gloom.

After Labor Day, the crowds thin out and some of the most spectacular weather occurs. The marine layer is usually all gone and some of the most amazing sunsets of the year will occur. The prices at local hotels are a little lower. It is easier to get reservations at beachfront rentals and hotels and local restaurants are less crowded. Also less crowded will be the many sights and other places you’ll want to visit. The lines at places like the San Diego Zoo, SeaWorld and LEGOLAND will be shorter. The days will mostly be sunny, warm and comfortable. The nights can get very cool and inland there can be frost. This can also be a great time of year to enjoy a cruise. Imagine sunsets to the horizon while out to sea.

After the holidays, San Diego heads into its rainy season. While most of the rest of the country is freezing and getting hammered with snow, San Diego will get most of the rain that it will get for the entire year. The average yearly rainfall in San Diego is a little over 10 inches. The ocean, which acts like an air conditioner during the summer and keeps the coast from getting really hot, acts like a heater during the winter so the coast never gets very cold. Temperatures can drop in to the 30′s on occasion along the coast but that is very unusual. The farther from the coast you get the lower the temperatures can fall. In fact, in places like Julian and the rest of the mountain area snow can fall, and pile up. However, a frozen lake is not something you are going to see anywhere in San Diego. It never gets cold long enough for that to happen.

This is also the time of year for the highest tides of the year. A good time to go to restaurants right along the coast, places like restaurant row in Cardiff and the Marine Room at La Jolla shores. The waves will often be crashing right near the restaurant, and if there is also the storm it can be very dramatic. The Marine Room has been flooded more than once during its lifetime.

The rains turn the dry brown hillsides green and suddenly wild flowers are everywhere. The desert, depending on the amount of rain can turn into a vibrant display even. California poppies sprout up everywhere and wild mustard turns many of the sides of the canyons a bright yellow. The marine layer will roll in again and before you know it, it’s time to welcome the tourists again.

So pick your season when you travel, San Diego has them, each with their own personality.

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By Sabastian Dauphinee – For more information on traveling to San Diego and what to do there see Smart-Tourist San Diego.

Source: Cool Travel Zone – Your Source For Great Vacation, Travel and Cruise Articles!