Parts of the Bay Area are pretty famous for having microclimates. I wouldn’t really use traditional weather reports for determining if it’s currently raining right here, but I find them accurate enough for determining if I need to carry my rain jacket or umbrella for the day.
This wasn't a microclimate issue. I'm pretty darn sure the conditions at the station simply could not have been so radically different. And re: forecasts, if I had just looked at the weather to see if I needed an umbrella that evening I would've concluded "yes" if I had looked at 2pm and "no" if I looked at 3pm. Sometimes they do get it right, but other times they're just literally useless.
