Why doesnt California get hurricanes?

Question

Why doesnt California get hurricanes?

Answer 1

The cold water off the coast of California serves to weaken tropical systems as they approach.  Hurricanes need water temperatures to be at least about 77 degrees F in order to maintain themselves. High water vapor content in the air over the warm water is what tropical systems derive their strength.

The water temperatures off the California coast are simply too cool to provide the necessary heat content.

Answer 2

They do, just not as much as in the Atlantic.

Answer 3

Baja California has, I think. It's a lot to do with steering currents I think. Did you ever try to go swimming near San Fransico? The water's hardly ever warm. Tropical weather, inluding hurricanes depend on warm water to get thier energy. It's because of colder water that most of California isn't prone to get hurricanes.

Answer 4

I never thought about it,but the earth spins in one direction,sothey start east and go west.,I would assume.

Answer 5

Nicer conditions

Answer 6

That is a good question mcmarrybb. The reason that California very rarely gets hurricanes is primarily due to the direction of the winds high in the atmosphere. When looking at Atlantic hurricanes, have you ever though why do they always move right toward America instead of Africa. Again, this is because of the direction of winds high in the atmosphere. The Earth has "belts" of upper level winds. Across much of the U.S., upper level winds move from west to east. However, if you move just a bit south, such as the Caribbean, upper level winds go from east to west. Considering that this is where most hurricanes form, it makes sense that they should move east to west.

This would explain why California gets them so rarely. Sitting on the west coast, any hurricane that were to develop in the eastern Pacific would move away from the coast of the U.S., although there are those occasional few that do move towards the coast, but that's a different story.

Answer 7

I believe there was a hurrican off the West coast a few years ago.  but it did not amount to much compared to the ones the rip thru the Gulf of Mexico.  It probably has a great deal to do with the rotation of the earth which has a great deal to do with the wind patterns in the atmosphere.