Monterey Bay’s seasons aren’t typical. They have none of the characteristics of the four seasons I learned about in school (no winter snow or summer sun), and none that most people associate with California (warm sunny beaches year-round). The bay does have four seasons, but you have to pay close attention to notice them:

spring is windy

summers are foggy

autumn is sunny and warm
winters are rainy

(although we’ve had very little rain this year).

Like most places, our weather this time of year — the spring — is moody. It can be sunny and warm, or rainy and cool, or sunny and cold, or foggy and chilly, but more often than not it’s windy: flat water at daybreak each day turns wild with white caps as the winds build and blow. (The Pacific systems creating this regular spring pattern is dynamic and you can learn more from Seasons in the Sea.)

These photos illustrate Monterey Bay’s springtime moods — all were taken this April — a year’s worth of seasons in one month.

I’m not fond of spring because the wind can be bitingly cold and rough waters make kayaking a challenge, but I do favor spring variability over the long monotonous months of summer fog to come.