Editing West Coast of the United States (section)

==Climate==
{{See also|Pacific Coast Ranges}}
The West Coast of the United States has an [[oceanic climate]] in its Northwestern, Northern, and Eastern edge towards the U.S.-Canada border, but from Northern California, towards the U.S.-Mexico border the climate is [[mediterranean climate|Mediterranean]]. While the northern half of the west coast, particularly coastal Washington and Oregon has moderate rainfall, particularly during the winter months, much of coastal California is drier year-round.

The coastline sees significantly milder temperatures compared to inland areas during summer. In far Northern California there is a difference of 17&nbsp;°C (30&nbsp;°F) between [[Eureka, California|Eureka]] and [[Willow Creek, California|Willow Creek]] despite only 25 miles (40&nbsp;km) separating the locations and Willow Creek being located at a {{convert|500|m|ft}} elevation. Slightly narrower fluctuations can be seen all through the coastline, and could partially be explained by the cold currents in the Pacific Ocean moderating coastal temperatures and the mountain ranges blocking the maritime air from moving farther inland than its foothills during summer.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}} 

[[Coastal fog]] is also prevalent in keeping shoreline temperatures cool. While famous in the [[San Francisco Bay Area]], coastal fog also affects [[Santa Monica, California|Santa Monica]] in [[Los Angeles]], Southern California, leading to May gray and [[June gloom]] conditions. Coastal California has very little yearly temperature differences with cool summers similar to those expected in parts of [[Northern Europe]] in San Francisco but warmer temperatures year-round further south. A short journey inland and summer temperatures are comparable with the rest of the United States on the same latitudes, sometimes warmer due to prevailing winds from the [[Nevada]] and [[Arizona]] [[hot desert climate]].{{Citation needed|date=December 2020}}