San Joaquin County CA Archives History - Books .....A Climate Unsurpassed 1923
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Kellie Crnkovich markkell95@aol.com December 16, 2005, 2:10 pm

Book Title: History Of San Joaquin County, California

Travelers tell us that the climate of San Joaquin is equal to or superior to 
the climate of Naples, Italy; that the climate is unsur¬passed for its 
salubrity, comfort and health-fullness goes without saying. So mild is the 
winter season roses bloom throughout the year, and almond trees are in bud in 
February. In the Court House Square there are palm trees growing throughout the 
year: as this is a strictly tropical plant it causes surprise to strangers who 
know not the equability of the climate. Orange trees blossom and the fruit 
forms and ripens during the early spring. As to the seasons we have but two, 
summer and winter; the warm weather begins in March, the fields are covered 
with wild flowers, the early fruit trees begin budding and the garden plants 
are again in color. Easter finds a wealth of flowers of ever}- shape and hue. 
From March until November we have sunshine and cool westerly winds with a 
varying temperature from 60 to 104- degrees. The warmest months are July and 
August. There are clouds, occa¬sional rains and heavy dew in April, May and -
October. The winter season begins in No¬vember and ends in February*. The only 
cold months are December and January, the month last named being the coldest, 
the thermome¬ter occasionally- dropping below the freezing point. The 1920-21 
winter was an open winter and water was frozen four times only during the 
season. The rainfall during the spring and winter season varies from ten to 
fifteen inches. Occasionally there is severe cold weather continuing for a week 
or more, -and five times during the county's history there has been a light 
fall of snow. According to one writer 1848 was a very severe winter; he 
says, "It rained and continued to rain; the rivers rose until the whole country 
round about was covered with water. Stockton was completely surrounded by water 
for a time. In December the cold was intense. Snow fell all over the valley. 
The channel froze down to the river and a passage had to be cut to get a launch 
up to the land here." There was a spell of cold weather in 1854 and the San 
Francisco steamer plowed ice as she came up the channel. In 1878 there was a 
period of six weeks of cold weather; every morning the house pumps were frozen 
solid, McLeod's lake was frozen over and ice a quarter of an inch thick was 
formed on the watering troughs. There was another long cold spell in 1885, and 
ice was formed, but it melted before midday. A fall of snow is so rare that 
children have never seen it except upon the Sierras. In 1880, January 22, snow 
began falling and continued for several hours, but in the warm sun it quickly 
turned to water. The heaviest fall of snow ever recorded occurred January 31, 
1882. The previous evening the weather was very cold and the following morning 
about eleven o'clock snow flakes began falling with increas¬ing velocity until 
it lay two inches deep upon the earth. Sleds were hastily constructed and the 
boys and those from eastern homes en¬joyed sleigh riding throughout the day. 
That evening a heavy rain soon melted the snow.


Additional Comments:
HISTORY OF SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY 
By George H. Tinkham 

Chapter I

HISTORIC RECORD CO
LOS ANGELES, CA
1923



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