United States climate exposure

San Francisco Climate Exposure: Marine Chloride and Cool-Humid Corrosion Context

San Francisco is a cool marine deployment environment where corrosion relevance is driven more by chloride and persistent humidity than by heat.

Climate exposure summary
CE-4Cool Marine Exposure
  • Strong marine chloride exposure
  • Persistent humidity and fog context
  • Low thermal stress

Marine chloride is the primary stressor. Persistent humidity is the secondary driver for reliability and field durability decisions.

CE classes describe overall environmental severity and are not equivalent to ISO corrosivity classes.

Dominant mechanismsMarine chlorideCool-humid wetnessLow heat / low freeze
Cool Mediterranean MarineModerate to high humidityStrong coastal marine exposure
San Francisco37.775, -122.419
Engineering Climate Fingerprintâ„¢

San Francisco environmental load barcode.

A normalized 0-100 matrix showing which exposure mechanisms dominate the deployment environment. Scores describe environmental load intensity, not failure probability.

ECF patternPrimary: Marine · Secondary: Humidity
Humidity58Moderate
Condensation52Moderate
Thermal18Low
Marine72High
Pollution36Low
Freeze2Minimal
Humidity: Persistent marine humidity and fog contextCondensation: Marine-layer dew-point margin and cool wetnessThermal: Low heat stress and mild seasonal temperature rangeMarine: North America V2 total chloride at San Francisco: 74.8 mg/m2/dayPollution: MERRA-2 sulfate deposition background at San Francisco: 2.7 mg/m2/dayFreeze: Rare frost exposure
Typical Applications

Equipment categories where this climate profile is relevant.

Outdoor ElectronicsTelecom EquipmentEV ChargingCoastal InfrastructurePower ElectronicsTransport Electronics
Why this climate matters

Why San Francisco climate matters

San Francisco demonstrates that corrosion exposure can be relevant even where heat stress is relatively low.

Marine chloride, fog-prone humidity and limited drying potential can affect exposed metals, connectors, fasteners and enclosure interfaces.

For qualification planning, San Francisco is a useful contrast case to hot-humid cities such as Houston or Singapore because the dominant mechanism is coastal marine exposure rather than temperature.

Engineering metrics

Exposure metrics that matter before deployment.

Climetry-derived indicators summarize environmental severity. ISO-derived indicators estimate material-related atmospheric corrosivity for metals such as carbon steel, zinc, copper and aluminum.

Climate Exposure SummaryCool marine exposure

Low heat stress with strong coastal chloride and persistent humidity.

Corrosion RiskHigh

Calibrated California chloride layer indicates strong marine deposition context.

Condensation RiskModerate

Fog-prone and cool-humid periods can support surface wetness.

RH80 Hours3,628 h/year

CEY10 frequent high-humidity exposure without tropical heat.

RH90 Hours1,606 h/year

CEY10 extreme RH periods occur during fog and cool wet episodes.

Climate ClassificationCool Mediterranean Marine

Coastal, mild, low heat, strong marine modifier.

Monthly climate profile

San Francisco thermodynamic exposure by month.

Preview profiles show monthly min-max envelopes, P10-P90 percentile bands, and monthly means for the core thermodynamic variables.

Relative humidity

75 % annual mean

Humidity is persistent despite mild temperatures, especially during fog-prone periods.

51 %75 %99 %JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Min-max P10-P90 Mean
Air temperature

14.2 C annual mean

Thermal stress is low; the climate is dominated by cool marine exposure rather than heat.

1.0 C14.0 C27.0 CJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Min-max P10-P90 Mean
Absolute humidity

9.1 g/m3 annual mean

Absolute humidity is moderate but drying potential can remain limited near the coast.

1.6 g/m39.1 g/m316.6 g/m3JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Min-max P10-P90 Mean
Dew point

9.4 C annual mean

Dew point and air temperature can remain close during fog and marine-layer conditions.

-0.7 C9.4 C19.4 CJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Min-max P10-P90 Mean
Hourly CEY engineering statistics

San Francisco representative-year diagrams.

These figures are calculated from the local hourly Climetry Environmental Year and translate thermodynamic climate data into engineering-readable duration, cycle and moisture-risk views.

San Francisco CEY10 temperature duration

CEY10 temperature duration

San Francisco's 1 C temperature-duration histogram is calculated from the selected hourly CEY10 source months. It shows how long products experience each outdoor temperature band during the representative year.

San Francisco CEY10 relative humidity duration

CEY10 relative humidity duration

The RH duration histogram translates relative humidity into annual exposure hours. It supports moisture-sensitive electronics, coating, connector and enclosure screening.

San Francisco Temperature x RH occurrence

Temperature x RH occurrence

The joint duration heatmap shows which temperature and humidity combinations occur together. This is more useful for durability screening than separate annual averages.

San Francisco Psychrometric moisture density

Psychrometric moisture density

The psychrometric density view connects dry-bulb temperature with absolute humidity and helps identify moisture-rich operating conditions and drying limitations.

San Francisco P05 / P50 / P95 thermodynamic profile

P05 / P50 / P95 thermodynamic profile

The percentile profile summarizes the representative spread of temperature, dew point, relative humidity, absolute humidity and dew-point margin.

San Francisco Representative moisture-risk week

Representative moisture-risk week

The selected high-risk week highlights periods with elevated humidity, absolute humidity and small dew-point spread. It is a screening view for condensation and moisture-ingress relevance.

San Francisco Daily temperature cycle histogram

Daily temperature cycle histogram

Daily temperature-cycle statistics provide engineering input for thermomechanical reliability assessments, enclosure breathing and gasket stress screening.

San Francisco Heating-design cold-week histogram

Heating-design cold-week histogram

The cold-week temperature histogram is useful for heating-load screening in temperate and cold climates. In tropical climates it confirms low heating-design relevance.

Definitions

Terms used on this page.

CE class

A Climetry Exposure Class is a location-based environmental severity class for durability screening.

CE classes summarize humidity, condensation potential, marine influence, pollution context and thermal exposure. They are not ISO 9223 corrosivity classes.

RH80 exposure

RH80 exposure is the number of hours where relative humidity is at least 80%.

It is useful for identifying persistent moisture exposure relevant to electronics, coatings, connectors, enclosures and atmospheric corrosion screening.

Condensation potential

Condensation potential indicates conditions where surface wetting risk is elevated.

It is derived from temperature, dew point and humidity context. It is a screening indicator, not a measurement on a specific product surface.

Atmospheric transport screening

North America V2 chloride and MERRA-2 sulfate context.

San Francisco chloride is sampled from the current Climetry North America V2 land-only total chloride overlay. Sulfur exposure is represented by MERRA-2 sulfate deposition background rather than uncalibrated SOx magnitude.

Annual Grid-Cell Chloride26.9 mg/m2/day

Annual mean sampled at San Francisco from the current North America V2 land-only total chloride overlay.

Chloride StatusV2 ISO screening

North America V2 combines NADP-calibrated marine wet deposition, dry-deposition uplift and a coastal aerosol tail. The sampled city-center grid cell is treated as broad marine aerosol exposure, not direct exposed surf/splash.

Distance to Coast2.2 km

Immediate marine exposure is the dominant atmospheric modifier.

MERRA-2 Sulfate2.7 mg/m2/day

Annual wet+dry sulfate deposition background sampled from MERRA-2.

Sulfate ConfidenceValidated background

MERRA-2 sulfate is used as sulfur-deposition background; local SOx transport remains research/screening context only.

ISO Input ClassesT3 / S1 / sulfate background

Approximate screening inputs: time of wetness, V2 total chloride and MERRA-2 sulfate deposition background.

Carbon SteelScreening only

Marine chloride is the main atmospheric modifier; final corrosivity depends on local wetness and shielding.

ZincScreening only

Use the V2 chloride value and MERRA sulfate background as engineering inputs, not certified ISO site measurements.

CopperScreening only

Screening-level atmospheric corrosivity context, not product-specific lifetime prediction.

AluminumScreening only

Chloride-sensitive interpretation should distinguish broad coastal aerosol exposure from local surf/splash siting.

Corrosion DriverMarine chloride

For San Francisco, marine chloride and cool-humid wetness dominate over heat or sulfate background.

Monthly atmospheric transport profile

San Francisco chloride and sulfate screening by month.

Monthly chloride values are sampled from the current North America V2 total chloride overlay at the San Francisco grid cell. Sulfate values are sampled from MERRA-2 2020-2024 monthly wet+dry deposition background.

Chloride deposition

26.917 mg/m2/day annual mean

Monthly V2 total chloride estimates stay in the S1 screening range at the sampled San Francisco city-center grid cell. Directly exposed open-coast pixels can be higher than the city-center sample.

22.460 mg/m2/day27.100 mg/m2/day31.740 mg/m2/dayJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Min-max P10-P90 Mean
MERRA-2 sulfate deposition

2.711 mg/m2/day annual mean

MERRA-2 sulfate background is low to moderate for San Francisco; marine chloride remains the dominant atmospheric modifier.

1.451 mg/m2/day2.895 mg/m2/day4.339 mg/m2/dayJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Min-max P10-P90 Mean
Plastic ageing context

San Francisco UV and ozone exposure for polymer screening.

San Francisco combines strong summer UV with moderate ozone. The plastic-ageing signal is high even though thermal stress is low.

Mean UV Surface Dose67.2 kJ/m2/day

ERA5 2015-2024 monthly climatology sampled at the city grid cell.

Peak UV Month106.3 kJ/m2/day

Highest monthly mean daily UV dose in the representative climatology.

Mean Surface Ozone29.3 ppb

CAMS EAC4 surface ozone climatology for elastomer and rubber ageing context.

Plastic Ageing Index77 / 100

Partial Climetry v0.1 screening index from UV and ozone only; not a lifetime prediction.

Engineering interpretation

This is a useful reminder that polymer ageing and metal corrosion do not always follow the same climate ranking. Cool marine environments can still create significant UV and ozone exposure for exposed plastics.

Monthly plastic ageing profile

San Francisco UV and ozone exposure by month.

Monthly profiles show UV surface dose, surface ozone and a partial Plastic Ageing Exposure Index. Thermal oxidation, hydrolysis and moisture ageing will be refined with CEY thermodynamic channels.

UV surface dose

67.2 kJ/m2/day annual mean

Mean daily UV surface dose by calendar month. Useful for photo-oxidation screening of plastics, coatings, cable jackets and exposed polymer housings.

10.4 kJ/m2/day66.2 kJ/m2/day122.0 kJ/m2/dayJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Min-max P10-P90 Mean
Surface ozone

29.3 ppb annual mean

Monthly surface ozone climatology. Relevant for ozone-sensitive elastomers, seals, rubber parts and strained polymer components.

9.2 ppb28.6 ppb48.1 ppbJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Min-max P10-P90 Mean
Plastic ageing exposure

77 score annual mean

Partial Climetry Plastic Ageing Exposure Index v0.1 from UV and ozone channels only. Thermal and moisture ageing channels will be added from CEY.

46 score70 score95 scoreJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Min-max P10-P90 Mean
Environmental Data Confidence

ERA5 climate data show consistent long-term environmental agreement.

The environmental indicators presented on this page are derived from ERA5 climate data.

ERA5 thermodynamic variables have been compared against long-term airport weather station observations across multiple climate regions.

The comparison demonstrates good agreement between ERA5 and measured environmental conditions.

TemperatureRMSE 1.15 °C
Dew pointRMSE 1.20 °C
Relative humidityRMSE 5.48 %-points

These comparisons evaluate long-term environmental representativeness and not individual weather events.

Local Station Consistency

San Francisco: ERA5 vs Weather Station Observations

Monthly thermodynamic comparison against San Francisco International Airport (KSFO) weather observations for 2025.

TemperatureRepresentative coastal profile
Dew pointMarine-layer context
Relative humidityScreening comparison pending
Meteostat monthly valuesERA5 monthly values
City-specific comparison against San Francisco International Airport (KSFO). The chart is schematic; the RMSE values above are calculated from monthly station-versus-ERA5 2025 data.Read methodology
Report preview

San Francisco exposure report structure.

The full report combines climate classification, corrosion screening, condensation exposure, RH80/RH90 hours, marine context, monthly profiles, and reliability implications.

Climate ClassificationCool Mediterranean MarineClimate zone
Climetry Exposure Class (CE)CE-4Environmental severity
Corrosion ScreeningHighISO-derived indicator
Condensation RiskModerateMoisture
RH80 Hours3,628 h/yearWet-hour proxy
RH90 Hours1,606 h/yearExtreme humidity

Reliability implications for San Francisco

High humidity and condensation exposure may result in a severe Climetry Exposure Class even if atmospheric metal corrosivity remains moderate. CE classes indicate environmental severity and qualification relevance, not failure probability.

  • Treat marine chloride and cool-humid wetness as the dominant durability context.
  • Review coating systems, fasteners, connector sealing and galvanic compatibility for coastal deployments.
  • Use San Francisco as a contrast to hot-humid sites: corrosion relevance can be high even when heat exposure is low.
Learn More

Engineering context behind the city exposure pages.

Interactive assessment

Understand your own environmental exposure.

Analyze any location worldwide and compare humidity, condensation and environmental severity.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What does CE-4 mean for San Francisco?

CE-4 is a Climetry Exposure Class. It describes overall environmental severity for durability screening and qualification support at this location.

Is this a corrosion prediction?

No. The page provides environmental exposure screening. Corrosion indicators are engineering screening outputs, not failure probability and not a product-specific lifetime prediction.

How reliable are the climate data?

The indicators are derived from ERA5 climate data. ERA5 thermodynamic variables have been compared against representative airport weather observations and show good monthly agreement for temperature, dew point and relative humidity.

What is the difference between CE class and ISO corrosivity?

CE classes describe overall environmental severity. ISO 9223 corrosivity classes describe material-related atmospheric corrosivity categories. They are related but not equivalent.

How does Climetry use ERA5?

Climetry uses ERA5 temperature, dew point and pressure fields to derive relative humidity, absolute humidity and environmental exposure indicators for engineering interpretation.