So not every day needs to be rain. It looks like finally, the sun is to begin poking out, but the promise of a fair holiday weekend looks to be unfounded. Partly sunny weather today slowly gives to clouds and rain through Friday. Temperatures to remain mild - neither too warm or too cold.
What is most interesting from this past week are the mid weeks storms that split and sent the majority of the precipitation south. While this type of weather pattern is typical in an El Nino year, it is not in a La Nina. The PNW called, and they want their jet stream back. Record December snows blanketed our Tahoe resorts and Mammoth came out as the clear winner with 10 feet at the base and 13.5 feet at the crest. Tahoe ranged from 90-110" from this past week's system. Not too shabby, and a great set up for the year. As for water, we are in really good conditions, but would have preferred to see a lower freezing level, keeping some of that water in the form of snow up in the mountains until the spring run off.
I did see a lot of urban flooding this past Sunday in the foot hill communities, and even down in Santa Cruz and Marin. Remember that our ground is well saturated, and at this point any rain can cause significant run off. In SoCal it is a good idea to be careful, as mud and rock slides are a concern, especially in burn out areas. I hope none of you were the folks who decided to try to drive across running water this past week. Not smart; play safe.
This upcoming week looks to be much milder, but still some significant chance of rain. Today was sunny, but clouds return on Friday and chance of rain by the evening. Temperatures remain fairly mild, but cold enough for snow level down below lake level. The weekend looks to be wet, with the heaviest falling on Saturday night. Clearing returns for Monday and Tuesday. So much for a fair holiday weekend. Next week we have increasing chance of rain, especially later in the week. Over the period we can expect about an inch of rain (or a foot of snow) each event. All in all a great time to get up and ski all of the new snow. Resorts are all 100% open, and winter has just begun.
In our garden we are seeing the garlic tips poking out of the surface. This is great news, as we were concerned about rot with all this rain. Fava beans are looking great, and I think the rains helped with getting rid of some of the aphids. This cool weather is great for them, so be on the look out. Also, slugs and snails are loving this weather. The lettuces were not so much of a fan, and we can expect supplies to dwindle and price to rise. OTOH, broccoli, and its ilk are loving this cool and wet weather. Apples are still going strong, and I for one hope they continue late this year. Pears, citrus and kiwi are doing great. Strawberries are considered done until spring knocks - this rain really did them in. It was a nice December surprise this year.
In short, an off and on week, with some rain (and mountain snow). We are off to a great start of the water year, and this past week has done us well. Only wished that we had colder temperatures, allowing more water to be caught in the snow pack. Enjoy the holidays, and expect a January outlook soon.
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