Shorts or Pants for Sonoma in Oct?
 

I am getting excited about our upcoming (first) trip to Sonoma this Oct.

Can anyone tell me - is it generally a cool time of year, or should I pack shorts and short-sleeve shirts rather than sweaters?

I know no one can tell for sure how this year will be, but is Oct (4th - 11th) generally hot/warm or coolish fall type weather?

Zip-off pants are universal.

10 days before your trip start checking the weather forecast. Plenty of time to pack.

Bring both. October will more than likely be cool in the mornings, warm during the afternoon, and chilly at night. As with any trip to California, layers are the key because we are the land of microclimates. Unless you are in the Sierras, there are rarely any extreme temperatures, so no need for wool sweaters or coats. Just a light sweater or long sleeved shirt and a windbreaker over a short sleeved shirt and you are set.

I was there last October and it was very cool in the early mornings (upper 30's!) but warmed up very nicely during the day. Pack a jacket for evenings if you'll be out, but bring the shorts too! It's a great time to be in Sonoma!

The only thing I will add to the excellent advice you've already been given is to bring a raincoat just in case we get an early storm. A lightweight one could be one of your layers.

Thanks for the advice, I too will be traveling to Sonoma the firt week in Oct..

Last May I stayed with a friend near Sonoma, in Sebastapol, and we went for a drive over to the coast and all around. I have no clue where we were, but it was all quite lovely. I made a slide show of the photos I took of the countryside. It is a rather long "movie," so just for those with high speed connection. This is a "clean" show -- deer, old barns, flowers, cows, sheep, a rooster, old truck, sea shore scenes. Well, there is one photo of a couple kissing way off on a rock on the beach, but it is still PG. I'm in a camera club. Some of these photos won prizes in a recent show. It is my first attempt at making a slide show of my photos and trying to coordinate with music, so just sit back and enjoy a drive through the countryside.

http://www.gomilpitas.com/photos/SonomaMovie.mov
8.2 megs

What was I wearing? Well, there is one photo of my Sebastapol native friend, Lillian. This is pretty much the sort of outfit everyone female wears there. Layer up!

One of the more puzzling photos is of the Nicholas Green memorial. Remember the news story a few years back about the little boy who was driving with his parents in Italy, and they got in the middle of some gang warfare and the little boy was shot? The family donated his organs to Italians in need of them, and in gratitude, the Italians from towns all over donated bells, and an artist put them all together in a tower.

The large dark brown animal in with the sheep is a llama. Llamas will live peacefully with sheep and will scare away any coyotes! Guess you could call it a "guard llama."

Ann Zeise

This is a great question!! I am convinced it is impossible to be anything other than too hot or too cold in any part of CA!! I exaggerate for effect but we go to CA a lot and I have never been so hot or so cold as I am when I am there and those two levels of discomfort usually occur on the same day.