Page:The Tourist's California by Wood, Ruth Kedzie.djvu/47

 GENERAL INFORMATION 29 never unpacked, which are as superfluous in July and August as in February. In all parts of California the mornings and even- ings are crisp, or raw, from December to March. At noon, summer reigns if the sun shines. Swimmers laugh in the surf, golfers throw off their jackets. By three or four o' the clock those who are sensible put them on again. The rains fall gently for the most part, and often in the night, the daylight hours remaining clear for long periods in favoured years. The " rainy season " is the most misunderstood feature of the California climate. Actually, it often rains less than during the eastern winter. The days when the sun remains hidden entirely are rare. One comes to the conclusion that the adjective " rainy " is applied in contrast to the summer's unremitting dryness. Occasionally a rainstorm persists for several days. But this is not the rule. The rains begin earlier in the north than in the south, and last longer among the mountains than in the valleys. Normally, more rain falls in De- cember and January than in November and Feb- ruary. Throughout the winter there are on an average two full days of rain out of every twenty in Southern California. Beginning with May the total rainfall, north and south, averages less than an inch each month of summer and early autumn.