<p>How cold does it usually get up there in NorCal?</p>
<p>I'm trying to decide if I can wait to get a good winter coat for Christmas, or if I need to get one before I leave. I've also considered getting some good rainboots, but might settle on just a new pair of Adidas (my tennis shoes of choice :)). What do y'all think?</p>
<p>A nice Pea coat is good. It can be very breezy in the bay area, fun scarves & gloves are nice too. All those fun winter things you grew up seeing in fashion magazines and could never wear, you can wear in the Bay area</p>
<p>I'm no parent, but I live in Santa Rosa. The wind you'll find in the Cotati/RP area is nowhere near as frequent or bad as in San Francisco or on the bay. Rain is usually heaviest during the early part of the year(Jan/Feb/Mar) but can also get occasionally bad in November and December. I don't think you'll need rainboots, just a hoodie and umbrella.</p>
<p>I'm furthur inland; Solano county, two "coastal ridges" from Sonoma, and quite a bit hotter, but it is NEVER really "good winter coat" cold (at least from an ex-New Yorker perspective. The ocean influence moderates the heat and the cold. Still,I have been pretty cold by California standards in San Francisco. A leather jacket seems versatile and perfect there, but is probably not the most frugal choice. According to My daughter, winter is a nice excuse to wear "cute" boots and gloves, but more fashion than necessity.</p>
<p>We live in the area and my kids rarely wear anything heavier than a hoodie with a layer underneath for just getting around during the day. I would suggest a rain coat rather than a heavy pea coat for walking to class on rainy day. But the pea coat may come in handy when it is cold and you are hanging out outside. It's more the wet than the cold you will want to protect yourself from during the day. Rain shoes or boots aren't essential but are really nice on those few days when it is absolutely pouring and you don't want your addidas/feet getting wet.</p>
<p>If you are into fun fashion somemom is right you can get some really cute accessories and actually have it get chilly and wet enough to wear them</p>