Oakland, CA: Top Things to Know About Storage
Mediterranean Climate
California is nationally recognized, and envied, for its year round, beautiful weather. Oakland has a Mediterranean climate, which means hot and dry summers and cool and wet winters. The city sees an average of 260 sunny days per year and is ranked number one in climate among U.S. cities. Its location gives it the perfect balance because it’s warmer than San Francisco but cooler than San Jose. Fog is also common in the area and can affect traffic conditions, but it fades away pretty quickly. Weather wise, Oakland seems to be perfect, and not many of its weather conditions can affect storage. However, there is a downside to the weather.
In the summer, high temperatures can go up to 104 degrees and the winter low gets down to 24 degrees. Given the huge differences in weather, we would recommend that you always store your belongings in climate controlled units so there’s never a danger of something melting, molding, or freezing.
Devilish Winds and the Sea
There’s also a small caveat that comes with Oakland’s beautiful weather: Diablo winds. These dry and warm offshore winds occur in the fall and raise the danger of fire. Fire has previously spread and consumed many homes in the area, so you want to be careful about where you choose your storage facility. Even if you choose a facility that’s not in an area susceptible to these fires, you should still be weary of cleanliness issues within your storage unit. Your things should be protected by the ash from the fires, but there’s a chance that debris can slip in so you should check what cleanliness measures the storage facility you choose to store at takes. Some facilities are very strict about cleanliness and have scheduled cleanings of their sites, which is helpful in cities like Oakland. When you’re looking for a facility, ask facility managers about how previous fires have affected their tenants.
Our last piece of advice is to store more inland and away from the ocean if you’re storing things like RVs and electronics. If you’re storing near the ocean, there’s a high chance that metal objects will become rusty because of the high salt content of the ocean’s air. You’re putting your things in storage to protect them, so don’t put them in a unit that will make them more susceptible to unavoidable damage.
Wine Tasting and Storage
As a resident of Oakland, wine tasting trips to Napa Valley are probably pretty common for you. Napa Valley has more than 400 wineries, and a lot of them are world-acclaimed. Wine connoisseurs from all over the world visit the area, and so do people who just want to have a relaxing weekend that entails sipping wine and eating cheese.
Wine tasting is a year round activity, so wineries have to be stocked up throughout the year. Napa does have its own wine cellars, but they also store their wine in nearby storage facilities that specialize in wine storage. Because of the weather and proximity to the ocean, they have to be careful to store in climate controlled units if they are storing in a normal storage facility. If you ever need to store your own personal wine, be grateful that you’re living close to America’s wine central—you’ll be able to find a facility that can ensure no damage is done to your precious stash.
Traumatic Traffic
California is known to have the worst traffic in the U.S. Some places are worse than others (Los Angeles, for instance), but overall the state’s traffic is pretty terrible. In Oakland, rush hour lasts from about 6:45am-9:15am in the mornings, and starts picking up again at 3:30pm and lasts until 7:30pm. If you ask the average person in the city about afternoon and evening traffic, you’ll probably hear that rush “hour” actually lasts from 1:25pm to 8:30pm. Seven hours of traffic sounds pretty unbelievable, but we can vouch for them—the struggle is real. After hearing our traffic report, you should definitely opt for a storage facility that allows for 24-hour access to your unit, no matter how often you go (or don’t go) to get your stuff. Getting anywhere on time in California’s traffic is highly unlikely, so if you’re nocturnal and have unlimited access to your unit, you’re more likely to be able to get to your things whenever you want to.
