Gilroy, California—The garlic capital of the world requires plenty of warm sunshine to grow that garlic—and it gets it. With average summer temperatures hovering around 88 degrees and those rare, hot extremes that have set records for the area at 115, Gilroy is not as cool as its coast counterparts over in Big Sur, Carmel and Monterey.

The winters seldom dip below 60 degrees on average during the daytime, and that's why many prefer the Gilroy climate to places such as the Monterey Bay area.  January and February you might run into rain during a visit. Each of the two months averages over 4 inches, which there's usually no rain in June through August.

If you're visiting the area, it depends what time of year you are going to determine what type of clothes you should take with you. Summers would be best with lightweight t-shirts, short sleeve, shorts and sandals, plus a jacket for night when it drops down in the 50s. Winter temps are nice during the day but it does get cold in Gilroy at night so take a jacket, sweater and long pants, definitely! With the right packing, you'll have a great time visiting.

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