Table of contents : Foreword Preface Acknowledgements Contents 1 The Most Climatically Diverse State in the United States 2 The Golden State and Its Physical Environment 3 California Sunshine 4 Temperature Variations: Heat and Cold 5 The Atmosphere–Ocean Influence 6 Precipitation: Too Much or Too Little 7 Fog: A Menace or Friend 8 California Winds and Fire Weather 9 Cyclones: Mid-latitude and Tropical 10 Thunderstorms and Thunderstorm-Associated Severe Weather 11 Climate Change in California: Past, Present, and Future 12 California Weather and Air Pollution 13 California Agriculture Appendix A: 1991–2020 Normals Appendix B: Historical Winter Storms Appendix C: Notable California Fires Appendix D: The American Lung Association 2022 “State of the Air” Appendix E: Two Years Before the Mast, by Richard Henry Dana Jr., 1840 Index