I know a few people who have grown them in large planters and have had some success.
I also have tried to grow hops at a friend's house (no planters) for the last couple of years and they keep dying. He did some research and it turns out that there is some kind of fungus or mold in his soil that kills them off, that is nearly impossible to get rid of and seems to be localized to SoCal. They start out OK but after several months they develop this disease and die. So I guess if I try to grow them again, I'll use planters next time.
It's not about the weather so much as something in the soil. As I said, I have friends that have been successful growing hops in planters. And it might be something localized to the area around my friend's house.