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2019 STOCKTON CALIFORNIA (KSCK) Stockton, the county seat of San Joaquin County, is located near the center of the Great Central Valley of California. It is on the southeast corner of the broad delta formed by the confluence of the San Joaquin and Sacramento Rivers. The surrounding terrain is flat, irrigated farm and orchard land, near sea level, with the rivers and canals of the delta controlled by a system of levees. Approximately 25 miles east and northeast of Stockton lie the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, rising gradually to an elevation of about 1,000 feet. Beyond the foothills, the mountains rise abruptly to the crest of the Sierra, at a distance of about 75 miles, with some peaks here exceeding 9,000 feet in elevation. On a few days during the year, when atmospheric conditions are favorable, the downslope effect of a north or northeast wind can bring unseasonably dry weather to the delta area, but on the whole the Sierra Nevada has little or no effect on the weather of San Joaquin County. The Sierra Nevada does affect the area, however, to the extent that the entire economy of the Great Valley depends upon the water supplied by the melting snows in the mountains. To the west and southwest, the Coast Range, with peaks above 2,000 feet, form a barrier separating the Great Valley from the marine air which dominates the climate of the coastal communities. Several gaps in the Coast Range in the San Francisco Bay Area, however, permit the passage inland of a sea breeze which fans out into the delta and has a moderating effect on summer heat, with the result that Stockton enjoys slightly cooler summer days than communities in the upper San Joaquin and Sacramento Valleys. The summer climate in Stockton is characterized by warm, dry days and relatively cool nights with clear skies and no rainfall. Winter brings mild temperatures and relatively light rains with frequent heavy fogs. The annual rainfall averages about 14 inches, with 90 percent of the precipitation falling from November through April. Thunderstorms are infrequent, occurring on 3 or 4 days a year. Snow is practically unknown in the Stockton area. In summer, temperatures exceeding 100 degrees can be expected on about 15 days. During these hot afternoons the air is extremely dry, with relative humidities running generally less than 20 percent. Even on these hot days, however, temperatures will fall into the low 60s at night. In winter the nighttime temperature on clear nights will fall to or slightly below freezing, and will rise in the afternoon into the low 50s. In late autumn and early winter, clear still nights give rise to the formation of dense fogs, which normally settle in during the night and burn off sometime during the day. In December and January, the so-called fog season, under stagnant atmospheric conditions the fog may last for as long as 4 or 5 weeks, with only brief and temporary periods of clearing. 7