Hurricanes never seem to hit the west coast of the US, why is that?

Question

Hurricanes never seem to hit the west coast of the US, why is that?

In: Earth Science

Answer 1

The ocean is cold! There’s no hurricane fuel anywhere.

The California Current carries cold water from about the US/Canada border down into Baja California. North of San Francisco, the ocean rarely gets above 60 degrees Fahrenheit. LA and San Diego get up into the low 70s. A hurricane needs water temperatures of at least 80 degrees* to fuel itself.

*ELI5, it can’t happen below 80 degrees. ELI25, it might be possible though rare in the high 70s.