Travel | Northern California's Mediterranean Climate
I just returned from a project in Virginia Beach, Virginia. There was quite a contrast between snowy Virginia and Modesto when I returned. Although the two cities are almost the same Latitude, (a little over 36º N) Modesto has a Mediterranean climate thanks to the protection of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada Ranges on our North and East, respectively. Here is a slide show I put together showing the type of vegetation that thrives in Modesto, and most of the lower altitudes of Northern California, in the winter