Below is our second of twelve installments in which we (as in Ben Koo and Joe Lucia) try to assign a monetary value to the nice California weather. We will be doing this post once a month for all of 2018.
Each day, Joe and I log the weather of where we currently live and formerlly lived and then assign a value between -$100 to $100 depending on the difference, as well as what was in our daily routine and social life. Joe moved from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to Orange County and I did a reverse move from the Bay Area to Columbus, Ohio.
This is our attempt to use some type of systematic evaluation to answer the question: How much is California’s weather really worth?
Ben’s breakdown
Total value: $715
Average California high temperature: (Campbell, CA) 66 degrees
Average Ohio high temperature: (Columbus, OH) 46 degrees
Total days Ohio weather was equal to or better than California weather: five
Summary: After what was an historically terrible January, February wasn’t that bad. The first week or so was basically an extension of January. If you look at my first ten days, the total there was $500 as California once again is logging a warm and not very wet winter, almost as if there is some type of dramatic climate change taking place. The middle of the month was not great but free of “Dear god, what have I done” and then the last ten days of the month, I actually have Columbus having better weather than Campbell as a lot of rain and a cold front hit the Bay Area (and made everyone FREAK out thee). It’s still cold but the worst is behind us and I think we’re free and clear from entire days below 20 degrees and the negative temps which scare the shit out of me. I haven’t had to plan around the weather which is a big deal.
Am I surprised I valued the California weather at $715 for the month? About what I expected. It was a month in three parts with terrible weather at the beginning which drove me nuts again. The middle of the month which was just pretty standard midwest winter which I don’t love but can endure mostly, and then a nice little reprieve at the end of the month. I’d be totally fine if December-Feb was all like this more or less and I think that’s not unheard of but January was just the god damn worst.
How did the weather affect your month? I more or less did wanted I wanted to do. Some days it rained or was icy out and made errands or social events a bit less ideal. I had a really bad moment where I couldn’t get my Car2Go out of the snow and a couple took pity on me and helped me. Some wet storms have hit during less than ideal times (at the outdoor mall with a friend and out on a date) but nothing too crazy and California got a decent amount of rain after months of being pretty dry. Looking at the weather outlook, it looks like mostly 40’s and 30’s for the next week. Not great, but I can deal.
Joe’s breakdown
Total value: $585
Average California high temperature: (Irvine, CA) 68 degrees
Average Pennsylvania high temperature: (Harrisburg, PA) 47 degrees
Total days Pennsylvania weather was equal to or better than California weather: six
Summary: The first half of February’s weather was phenomenal in California, while it was awful in Pennsylvania. Eating outside at a fire pit on February 2nd is something I would have never been able to dream about while living back east, but here we are. But in the second half of the month, weather in SoCal took a step backwards, while Pennsylvania had one of its absurd warm weather swings, even hitting a high of 79 degrees one day. Thus, over the final two weeks of the month, the scales were more balanced, especially given that I can totally deal with temperatures as low as the mid 40s back east as long as I don’t have to deal with any bullshit precipitation.
Am I surprised I valued the California weather at $585 for the month? Yes, because I thought it would be higher given the incredible differences in January. We got a few days of rain in California (which was not part of the damn plan), and it was downright depressing compared to the multiple consecutive days of rain I had grown accustomed to in Pennsylvania. Also, the wind in California affected the weather more than I had ever really expected, resulting in some disappointing wardrobe choices when the weather looked warmer than it really was.
How did the weather affect your month? Ironically, the weather in the midwest affected my month more than the weather on either coast. In the middle of the month, I had a trip planned to Chicago to visit some of my significant other’s friends. Unfortunately, our flight was canceled the morning of the trip, and we had to scramble to come up with plans for the weekend. So instead of proposing in Chicago as I had planned out, I had to come up with a more haphazard marriage proposal in Orange County. It worked out for the best, and my girlfriend is now my fiancee – even though we still haven’t gotten to Chicago to visit her friends.
