Monday, January 3, 2011

The Return Of Solar Radiation Unhindered By The Thick Layer Of Clouds. Yay!

And, so, the sun came out today and plans to stick around for a little while.  Boring weather ahead.  Mild temperatures and few clouds as the week progresses.  Not too shabby, as we actually need a little break in the weather.  The mountains have been blanketed in over 300" of snow so far this season, and the ground here in the Bay Area is about as wet as it gets.

Today's weather is indicative of the week to come.  Mostly sunny, with some coastal clouds.  Warmest and sunniest on Wednesday, with a high perhaps reaching to 60F in the best nooks and crannies.  Slight chance of a system brushing over us this weekend, but each run of the models decreases likelihood.  Next week looks just a bit cooler - otherwise, more of the same.  We are looking around the 12th to 15th for the next big change in the weather.  Still, stay posted.  As we have seen so far this year, the models have tended toward the drier side of actuals.

This past weekend was spectacular in the mountains.  Last week delivered two to three feet of cold snow on Tuesday and Wednesday.  Thursday was a bluebird powder day of epic proportions - or so they say.  I can confirm that my cross continental flight was only slightly delayed, due to JFK getting hit by a 18" blizzard (of its own epic proportions), and that Santa Cruz is a wonderful place on a sunny late December day.  New Years Eve day was another spectacularly beautiful day in the Bay and the Sierra.  The new year rang in with close to a foot of new snow, and it kept on snowing through Sunday evening.  Paired with little wind, and most folks working off a hangover, the resorts were fabulous, and empty. If you have not yet gone up to ski, get on it.  This is an epic year, and this coming weekend looks to be great; especially if the sky stays blue and bright.

Lots of water in these parts, and we are approaching 100% for our 2010-2011 water year in parts of the state.  The pre Christmas storm was a great contributor, laying over 15" of precipitation in areas along the Sierra Crest.  This is all good news, but our soil is water logged, and a break is in order.  I am seeing ponds where I have never seen then before.  As well as a few new water falls.  Speaking of which, this is a great time of year to get out for a hike.  If your not skiing this weekend, then go for a walk.  The redwood forests are particularly magical right now.  Get out there and get some of that California goodness.

Some Fuji and green apples are still around.  As well as pomegranates, pears, kiwi and citrus.  We just plowed through of the best satsumas ever.  Five pounds worth in 4 days.  We bought them at Clements Ranch on route 88.  We were excited to buy more on our return drive, and were deeply saddened to see the road side seller closed for the holidays.  They were really really good fruit.  As far as vegetables go, we see the typical mid winter fare - kale, Brussels, cauliflower, broccoli, beets, carrots, turnips and the such. Leaf lettuce prices have soared due to the rains, but if the next few weeks stay fair, we should seem them drop again.

Not much new going on in the garden.  I really should find some time to get out there and turn in some of the clover, and tidy things up a bit.  The heavy rains have helped wash away some of the regular cool weather aphid colonies.  As mentioned above, the soil is very wet, so you may want to wait a bit before planting any seedlings - but if you have space, later this week could be a good time to plant another round of lettuces, spinach or kale.  As a note, it is time to start thinking about starting next year's tomatoes inside.  We have a bit of time still, but you know how that stuff seems to slip away.

In short, expect sunny and mild weather for the next few weeks, with a chance of rain over the weekend.  If it does snow, we are currently looking at light accumulations and freezing levels well below the lake.

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