Wet and Wild for the Next Few Days.

Well, the rain came in the pre dawn hours today here in Santa Cruz.  I awoke to the sound of rain falling and pattering on my window.  While this first wave came a bit earlier than expected, the day was mostly mild.  The rain let up before 8AM, and then held off through the rest of the day.  What a transition though. Sunday afternoon and evening was spectacular, with wispy clouds contrasting against the blue sky.  I am sure glad that I got out for a stroll with my friends.  This morning was quite a bit different, with a grey blanket stretching across to the horizon.  Expect things to worsen a bit tonight.

Tuesday morning will be mild, but the afternoon will be stormy, to say the least.  Heavy rain is expected to start mid to late in the day, and we could see over an inch of rain by this time on Wednesday.  Winds will be on the rise as well.  In the Sierra, they are bracing for one of the stronger and longer storms of the season, with upwards of 3" of precipitation expected by Thursday morning.  Combined with colder temperatures, a good amount of snow is going to pile up.  Freezing levels should drop down to below 5000 feet Tuesday as the cold front passes through.  Elevations as low s 4000' could see a foot or more of snow.  Three feet plus of snow is expected in the higher elevations, especially along the crest.  I am still calling Thursday for the powder day of the week, but it will take time for the resorts to dig out, get the lifts running and do their avi control work.  You may need to wait a bit for the gnar to open, but it will be good once it does.

Expect a longer than usual commute times tomorrow, especially in the evening. The surf should be blown out and the biking should be wet at best.  A good day to take care of the indoor activities.  Play with the kids, bake some bread or spend the extra hours at work.  Thursday we should see clearing, but a fair amount of showery weather should be planned for.  We are still watching the track of Friday's storm, but it looks like it will head south of hear.  We may see a nice day on Friday, as well as the weekend.  Regardless, things will be much colder than last week.

As far as produce goes, plan on some shortages to occur.  Hopefully we will remain freeze-free, but that is not certain.  The first concern though will be the heavy rains and strong winds tomorrow.  Lettuces will suffer a bit, but at the very least, harvest will be slowed and stopped over the next few days.  Depending on how the next few systems line up, we could see a pretty big stall in our farming.  On a more seasonal note, apple supplies are dwindling.  A few farmers still have them in cold storage, but not for long.  Kiwi and citrus are still going strong.  As are root vegetables.  I've had a lot of fun over the past week with watermelon radish.  Try a slaw of cabbage, carrot, celery, and radish with a lime-fish sauce-soy dressing.  Great with chicken or shrimp.

Stay dry and stay tuned.  Lots of rain for Tuesday and Wednesday, with some clearing on Thursday.  All bets still out for Friday and Saturday, except for the certain cold.  Time will tell.