Sunny Days Return. Pattern Change Looking Likely to Begin in Ten Days

Sunday's rain came an left early this past weekend in Santa Cruz.  It was a wonderful evening for a post rain walk.  There is nothing quite like a clearing sky to make for fantastic sunsets.   We had a nice moderate fall of rain to settle the dust, moisten the ground and wash away the dirt.  The fresh rain left drops on the grass, and signs of spring were bountiful - even if that seems a bit odd for late January.  We have tulips breaking the ground, and blossoms on the trees.  I wonder how they will fair with the return of colder air.

Monday morning was cool, crisp and clear.  This trend is to continue with some warming through the week.  Highs in the Bay Area will range from mid 50s to low 60s early in the week, rising to 60s and possible 70s (again, in the Santa Cruz area) by Friday.  The weekend should remain warm, but dip just a bit from Friday's high.  Sun, sun, sun.  East winds develop by mid week.  We may see some gusty conditions over the hill tops in in E-W aligned valleys.  This will also give us a good morning chill.

The swells continue pouring into the coast.  The wind has not been the surfer's friend since Friday, but we should see east morning winds starting tomorrow.  Today is the small day for the week at head high, but new long period swells arrive on Wednesday and Friday, keeping the waves in the 10 foot range through weeks end.

Sunday was a good day for Tahoe.  The snow fall was variable, with the heaviest snow falling west and south of the lake, with the crest being the clear winner.  Heavenly received 6", Squaw 8", Alpine 15" and Kirkwood came in at 18".  This new snow was light and fluffy and did not stick well to the icy base below.  So some areas are deep, and others are thin.  Regardless, this is a nice resurfacing, and the skier traffic mid week should pack it down evenly to offer up mostly a packed powder base for this weekend.  The first half of the week remains cold, but not nearly as arctic cold as predicted.  The coldest air will remain east of the region.  Warming into the 40s over the weekend, but a steady east wind will bring continued chill.  All in all, it looks like a great ski week and weekend ahead.

Don't forget to tend to your gardens this week.  The rain was nice, but check your usual areas for soil drainage.  This was not a deluge, and we have not had any significant rain for weeks, soil expect soils to drain well.  You may need to do a watering by Thursday or Friday.  This is still a good time to get some lettuce in, but the window for new plantings will close soon, perhaps this weekend.  It has been a great period for growth.  I just hope our flowering favas set some beans before the next round of rains.