Wintery Mix

In the north east, that would mean a mix of rain and snow.  Here in Santa Cruz that is a mix of rain and sun and mild temps.  Kind of feel like that is how this week is going.  We've cleared the humped, and things look to turn fairer.  Yesterday was a great afternoon to stomp in the Pogonip.  We found friends and salamanders.  Along with much wet earth.  The rain was quite sparse in the afternoon, but last night we had several squalls move trough, after dark, dropping an additional .4 inches.  The weekend total for the west side is just about 1.75".  Just over 2 inches in Lompico.  A moderately wet system.  And October is now in the top five wettest Octobers of all time.  A great start to our water year, even as winter forecast start to look on the dryer than average size.

After the rains, we hike the Pogonip through the Ewok Zone, to the Big Leaf Tree, and eat a wild persimmon.  Life.

Today, Monday, will remain cool and cloudy, with the most sun around mid morning.  It does not look like it will rain during the day, although a brief light morning shower is not out of the question.  The final storm in the series should impact us after midnight tonight, with a light fall of rain.  Maybe a tenth or two.  Tuesday could begin wet, but then we get into some series clearing through the day, and should see a full slate of stars at night.  Low to mid 60s both days, but warmer on Tuesday.  And that trend continues with sun and upper 60s Wednesday and low 70s for Thursday and Friday.  There will be a storm impacting the PNW mid week, but it looks like we should be well protected by the building high pressure.  And another system tries to hit us late in the coming weekend.  Too far away to tell, but current model runs have light rain for us Sunday night.

All in all, the first two weeks of November are looking dry.  But the pattern is active, and we see a breach on the models about once per week.  So we are not looking at an inactive, or boring set up, coming these next two weeks.  And if we do get the sunshine, that would be great for home gardens and natural gardens.  Things are green in town.  It is going to be a gorgeous fall.

Rumors have been heard about copious snow in the Tahoe zone last night.  A look at some mountain cams confirm a moderate to decent snow fall.  It looks like 8" to a foot at about 8000 feet.  This will give a good building base for those resorts that wish to make snow.  Not quite enough natural to start the schuss season, but a good building block.  We will have to see how two weeks of sunshine and slight warmth treat it, as we swing into opening days.

Clearing Up; Slowly.

The worst of today's storm looks like it has passed.  Hard to tell, as we don't have off shore radar, but the strongest cells have moved NW.  Town and Lompico are reporting about a quarter inch of rain so far.  This afternoon and evening are only forecast to receive a tenth or two.  It is windy, drizzly and super puddle(y) out there right now.  We are about to go stomping and might check out the Ewok Zone in the Pogonip.  Bet we can squelch down in there.  Anyway, rain and winds lighten up through the day, but we could still have some periodic moderate rain fall out there.  Wear a good protective layer.  Monday could be a beautiful day of clearing after several days of rain.  I'd keep an eye out for an awesome sunrise.  You only need to be up by 7:15 this time of year.

We are not out in the clear, with another round and chance for light rain Monday night.  This is looking to hit late, so should not interfere with the younger crowd, but might taper the late night mayhem.  And update tomorrow morning.

WWW.Warm, Wet and Wild.

It did feel muggy yesterday.  Not terribly uncomfortable east coast style.  Still, a little muggy before that rain.  I liked it.  Rain fell in Santa Cruz during the evening, tapering around 9PM, and then filled back in around 11PM.  It has been fairly consistent since then, but we had heavier showers around 2AM and they are happening agin now.  It is about 60F on the westside.  It will warm up a few more degrees today, but not much change.  We have nearly 3/4" already here on the west side, and the radar does not suggest a let up just yet.  A nice band of yellow and orange is coming ashore here currently.  And even stronger band seems to be hitting Marin, and earlier today the Santa Barbara/Ventura region had a strong cell impact them.

I was thinking we might get some thunder today, but it now seems like we did not entrap enough warm air.  But rain looks solid for the next hour or more.  I now expect we will break an inch here in town with this system.  Maybe even hit 1.5".  Only change in the short term is that moderate rain showers look to persist through most of the day today, subsiding over night.  Sunday's storm might move through a bit faster; so with less rain and more wind.  Speaking of winds, they should really begin to whip back up out of the south Saturday mid day.  Ultimately, this things will bring us some rain (another inch perhaps, as it is packing some moisture) but otherwise will stay north.  OTOH, there is now a storm diving south on Tuesday, bringing more rain.  And the long term now looks like a battle of the high and lows.  And this morning it looks like the high pressure is losing.  Will need to watch.  I've been looking forward to a fine stretch of weather.

Rain this weekend.  Maybe early next week.  Mid week sees storms in the PNW, but it looks like maybe we start to warm up late in the week.  But that high pressure is not going to gain its ground easily.

Wet Weekend.

Rain fills in for this afternoon, strongest through the early morning hours on Friday; tapering in the afternoon.  Threat of showers persist through mid day Saturday.  We have a little break Saturday evening into Sunday morning.  Rain fills back in Sunday afternoon.  That about sums it up.  There are a bunch of warnings going on out there, including mud slide warnings for areas recently burned.  We are expecting some heavy rain fall from around midnight through 8AM on Friday.  The commute will be impacted for sure.

Totals from the two weekend storms look impressive.

So, how is all this water treating California? The last system brought another 1.2% of the state out of Abnormally Dry and into Normal conditions.  It did not change any of the areas impacted more significantly.  We still have over 42% of the state listed at Extreme or Exceptional.  The good news is the storm arriving today is going to get quite a bit further south than most storms in the last several seasons.  Coming ashore near Point Conception, pushing rain into all parts of the state except the extreme desert southwest.  In fact, it will rain in all those 42% of land mentioned above, with several inches forecast in the San Bernardino and southern Sierra.  Still, the vast majority of rain will fall in NorCal with bullseyes forecast at 4" in Big Sur, 6" in the Trinity Range, and 9" near Lassen.  So, this weekend will treat us pretty well and is starting us off for a good water year.

And, now for the snow.  I have a few friends who are talking about snow and schussing.  They get super exceited this time of year when ever it rains.  So, what about the snow?  The Thurs/Fri storm is pretty damn warm.  While it is expected to get a decent amount of moisture of to the Sierra Crest (despite staying off shore until it gets south), freezing levels will be above 9000 feet.  Much of Tahoe peaks out between 8-10K.  The southern Sierra, OTOH, has some of the highest peaks, including Mt. Witney.  Areas above 10,000 feet could receive several feet of snow, setting up the base base the lower eastside has seen in years.  Fingers crossed.  The Sun/Mon storm is colder, and snow levels will drop to about 7500' or lower.  This one is impacting the north, but should be good enough to bring about a foot of snow to Tahoe.  Still several says out, so stay tuned.

Wet.  Get out this morning or look for the break Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning.  To early to tell, but rain could subside by Trick or Treat time Monday night.  Still, best plan on at least a wet ground.

Subtropical Absorption.

Coastal marine layer style drizzle this morning.  Another hundredth of an inch accumulated on King Street, but nothing showing inland.  At all.  This should break up fairly early and we are still hopeful for a nice autumnal sunny day.  That cooler air did not seem to get deposited, with the morning temps in the upper 50s.  I'd expect us to warm to the upper 60s, if not 70F, with the sun today.  Especially with the light south flow over the open water.  Although, warming to the 70s can take a few days in the fall, and we have more clouds, wind and rain arriving on Thursday with a boost from a dying Hurricane Seymour.  We would be stoked for the surf this thing is generating if it were typical mid summer hurricane season.  But it will be buried in what is being generated by all this rain systems.

Back to writing several hours later and that light drizzle has finally cleared.  And we accumulated another 1/100th".  As for the impeding rain, Thursday morning looks fair, with rain holding off until noonish.  This system is going to slam into Big Sur and Pt Conception, so most of the liquid will be south of us.  That said, as it runs ashore, it will spread out and give moderate rains to all of south central California.  Afternoon temps will be in the mid 60s.  Rainfall increases after dark and through the early morning hours of Friday.  Friday morning commute will be wild folks.  Be prepared.  Rain will slowly begin to taper by mid day, but expect wide spread showers to continue through sunset Friday.  Rain should dissipate by Friday morning, after dropping about an inch here in town.  Saturday morning will be a nice break from the rain.  A break, because there is more to come.

Still a lot of in the air, but the next system upstream begins bringing showers back in Saturday evening.  This system will be to our north, not south, and may sweep through quickly.  Or may drive right at us.  GFS 5 day precip totals in the Santa Cruz Mountains is over three inches, with about two here in town.  Will need to see how this plays out.  And there are more storms up stream, but it looks like those will impact the PNW directly.  More to come.

A Sprinkle was Had.

Today is fairly cloudy.  And humid.  We did receive a sprinkle last night.  One to two one hundredths of an inch.  Really just a sprinkle.  A touch more than a misting.  That was pretty much the case for locations not at elevations.  A few spots in the Santa Cruz mountains are reporting between five and eight one hundredths of an inch.  A light shower they must have had.  And more is on the way.

It is looking less active out there today, but rain persists north of I80.  St Helena received over 3", Shasta Dam 2", Blue Canyon 1.25", Mill Valley .4", with many places posting near an inch on NorCal, and some select locations more than 4 inches.  None of that really made it this far south, and while we see a chance of light rain to persist through tonight, I doubt at this point that we will reach that half inch forecast.  That being said, the Friday storm is really stacking up nicely to give us a wallop.  About that in a second.  Clouds today.  Pack a light rain coat just in case if you don't want to get caught in a shower.  Wednesday is looking like it will be a break, with some sunshine.  It will be cool though (low 60s), as this system will deposit a touch of cold air before dissipating.

Thursday will warm right back up as a strong system sags south just off shore pulling in warm air from the Southwest.  We might hit 70F; it also might be raining.  Get out and enjoy it.  Warm rain is not common around here.  I think the day will actually begin to feel a little muggy, as warmth and humidity increase before the rain.  Cool stuff.  Friday won't have that problem, as the rain will be falling by then and temps will drop back down into the mid 60s.  The weekend will be cooler as the storm moves ashore, followed closely by another.  Again, more to come.

Speeding Up.

quite a bit more cloud cover today.  Looks pretty cool.  Radar sows rain near Pt Reyes currently.  The radio keeps saying rai  down to these parts by dark.  I still think this thing it together down here until tomorrow.  It does look like the rain line will set up near the Monterey/Santa Cruz border by early in the day Tuesday.  And then hang out there through mid morning on Wednesday.  All in all, it only looks like we will be getting between a quarter and half inch during this period.  But don't fret.  The second wave comes later in the week.

Clearing on Wednesday and into Thursday.  Then the next system will drop south just off the coast.  We could see some light rain start on Thursday, but the bulk looks like it will come on Friday.  This system will bring wide spread moderate rain to the state, impacting as far south as the San Bernardino range, and giving the souther Sierra their best wetting since before the drought.  Not nearly enough to start getting super excited, but it would be nice to see snow on the state's tallest mountain.

Stay cozy.  Get ready to garden.  Make some broths.  Stay tuned; there is more to come.

October to Finish off Wet.

Yup.  That is the word on the street.  You must of seen those clouds fill in this morning.  Felt like it was going to rain almost.  Moisture is streaming overhead, pushed south by a moderate low pressure system bringing rain to the PNW.  Clouds are gorgeous out there tonight. Combined with the low sun angle, sunset season is starting up.  Moderate cloud cover will keep things warm tonight, with a low in the upper 50s.  Tomorrow looks like today (Sunday), low to mid 60s with a slight chance for some afternoon showers.  This chance of rain is looking pretty slim, as the southern edge of the storm system slowly sags southward.  NorCal should see a start to a nice long period of rain though.

Surf picked up over the past weekend.  Stormy conditions most of this week.

The week will see a slight warming trend through mid week, but high temps never escape the 60s.  Tuesday afternoon/evening there is a reasonable chance for some light showers.  Light.  And they should clear out before Wednesday morning.  Cloud cover continues to keep nights warm.  As does the fact that these storms remain off shore.  The first system weakens and dissipates on Wednesday, while the next in line begins to push southward on Thursday.  This storm also remains mostly offshore, streaming moisture and warmth in.  Oh, by the way, basically south winds all week.  Anyway, I think we rain will move in sometime on Friday.  Some models are suggesting Thursday afternoon.  Some late Friday.  It really all depends on how close it gets ashore before being south of us.  It is expected to move inland on Friday/Saturday near Santa Barbara, brings a good dose of rain to much of SoCal.  They need it.

And another is modeled to arrive late Sunday night, into Halloween.  Yes folks, it could be wet on Halloween.  Not too late to dress up as a bag of garbage.  And still way too early to tell if it is an accurate forecast.  The models suggest another brief hot of rain in early November, then a classic autumn time high setting up and diverting the storms north.  This could be setting us up for an excellent winter grow season.  Get those seeds in the ground over the next week, and seedlings in next week, after the rains.  And then let the sun and its warmth do its magic.

 

Almost Hot, For a Day.

Tomorrow should be in the low 80s.  Not bad for mid October.  The really nice warm up I forecasted for the end of the work week won't quite come together.  Too bad.  Looks like the weather is going to remain active.  Suppressing the warm up is another low pressure system rolling off the Gulf of Alaska this weekend and pushing down the coast of BC and the PNW.  A solid rain fall is expected for Seattle.  This will cause us to cool down starting on Friday.  Highs will drop back into the low 70s, and dipping into the mid to upper 60s by Sunday.  The sky remains mostly sunny through this period.





The large surf we had over last weekend has been subsiding.  They was still sizable surf up the coast this morning, and that will continue to drop through the work week.  Another swell arrive in the evening Friday, filling in Saturday morning with what looks like very good surface conditions.  Could be a solid day for surf.  What is of a little more interest is that storm I was just talking about.  After it takes aim on the PNW, the southern fringe begins to move into northern California on Sunday morning.  Rain could push south through the day, and give us some moderate showers Sunday night into Monday morning.  This system has some cooler air, and the start of next work week should see highs only in the lower 60s.  Chances for rain persist through Tuesday.  Currently it looks like a second wave of rain could hit on Tuesday/Wednesday after a break on Monday.  More on this later.

Clearing and Warmer. Then Hot(ish).

No new rain overnight on the westside.  Nearly two inches feel since Friday morning.  That is an excellent start to the water year for town.  NorCal did very well with this storm.  Happy Valley, just down the road, received 3.9 inches of rain.  Lompico, in the Santa Cruz mountains, topped over five inches of precip.   And the Sierra got a lot as well.  While I have not checked gauges around there, it mostly fell as rain.  But Sunday afternoon the freezing level began to drop and snow fell down to at least the Judah base at Sugarbowl.  Just about a few inches there.  Enough to make things look pretty.  Still waiting on reports, but there could be a foot or more of snow above 8000 feet, and about 9200 feet there might be a significant base.  Too bad most resorts top out below 9k.  Guess we still need to wait for ski season to begin.

An inch plus at 6900'

Weather makes a turn toward sun and warmth this week.  It is going to be so very different than this past weekend.  This morning starts damp, but the cloud ceiling is already higher, lifting and thinning.  The sun should be out in earnest by afternoon, and as it warms the earth, water vapor will mist off the land.  Creeks and outflows are running.  Waterfalls might be going through today.  As we dry up, the water flows will slow, or stop.  So get it while good.  We are headed to the Pogonip this afternoon to do some stomping.  High of about 68F today.  Sun through the weekend.  A bit warmer Tuesday, then upper 70s on Wednesday and mid 80s Thursday and Friday.  Then we will begin a cooling trend starting on Saturday. Though, it will still be a very nice weekend.

Waiting for some more clean surf...

Delivering

Another three fourths of an inch has fallen in town since the rain picked back up yesterday evening, bringing our totals to about 1.15".  Lompico picked up another 1.65" and Happy Valley 1.4", pushing there totals between 2.5 and 3 inches.  The rain is still falling quite heavy, but should taper off a bit in the next few hours.  The the third round should be filling in by later today.  There is a chance that we could see a break around mid to late morning, and lasting through early afternoon.  A chance.  Of course, we could also see the storms run into each other.  I've been saying welcome to fall, but this one feels much more like a December storm, so welcome to late fall.

All of this inclement weather wraps it self up by Monday morning.  Likely before the sun rises the rain will cease.  The ground will remain wet, so drive with caution during that commute Monday morning.  It will remain cool, with highs reaching into the upper 60s.  Afternoon will feel nice as the sun begins to poke through the clouds.  Winds remain onshore, but much much lighter.  By Tuesday, things begin to really shape up as we enter a warming trend.  The sun breaks out.  Free even of morning fog, it will be classic early fall wether.  Highs rise into the mid 70s Tuesday, upper 70s Wednesday, the top out in the low to mid 80s to finish the work week.  There will still be light to moderate on shores from the NW during this period, so not quite epic weather.  Just awesome weather.  By the weekend, temps moderate into the upper 70s.  It is gonna be a great run.

If you are planning on putting in a winter garden, and have not yet done so, now is the time.  That ground is nicely wetted.  It will warm up in next week's sun.  It is germinating weather people.  Seedling weather.  While it might seem a bit hot for seedlings, that sun is low in the sky, allowing warmth not burning.  Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, kale, fava, and dill are just a few of the things that thrive through the winter around here.  Garlic gets planted next month.

Stay cozy.  We went looking for puddles to stomp yesterday and found dry holes where the earth had already sucked in all the water.  Perhaps today we will have more luck.  And don't forget the sunblock next week.

11:21Am Update.  Wow.  Over an inch so far this morning.  Breezy out there.

A Saturday morning break.

Not raining right now as I type.  Santa Cruz only received about a 1/4" here on the west side of twon.  Sure felt like more than that, but I was out at Happy Valley during the heaviest rain.  The closest gauge to where I was shows over an inch of rain yesterday.  Scott Valley records about .4 inches and Lompico 1.4 inches.  Micro climates.  A solid rain day for mid October, especially considering there is more to come.  Get out there early today to enjoy some puddle stomping or artificial turf soccer ball kicking.  This next system looks fairly matured and will run into us later this afternoon and evening.  It is just about 50F here in town this morning; expect things to warm to about 65F.

Pushing the clean surf that is coming back next week.  

It still looks like we will only get light showers at the most during the daylight hours today.  The biggest push seems to come after midnight Saturday.  We should see some moderate rain lasting through sunrise on Sunday, and tapering through mid day.  Another half inch is expected here in town with more in the mountains.  A third wave arrive mid day, and fills the rain back in.  We may not even notice the afore mentioned tapering.  Moderate showers now look like they will move as far south as Big Sur Sunday evening into Monday morning.  Rain should end by around sunrise Monday.  Still plan for a wet commute as the roads at least will be slick.  All said and done, we should get up to about 1.5" here in town and several in the Santa Cruz mountains.  The north Sierra is looking at 5 plus inches and the NW part of the state could be pushing ten inches in total water accumulation in select locations.  SoCal, where the water is most needed remains dry as a bone.

Plan for beach weather next week.  Big somewhat stormy surf out there this morning.  Might be worth a paddle if you like a challenge.  Things settle by Monday with still some moderate size surf.  Conditions improve significantly.  The sun comes out.  Low 80's by end of next work week.  Welcome to fall in Santa Cruz.

And a quick snow update.  All rain below 9K yesterday, so the resorts are mostly dry.  Still good wetting occurred and the peaks look pretty.  The Sunday evening round of rain might be a bit cooler, with snow down to 7000 feet, which is below base level for a few resorts, and near base level for most others.  Still are not expecting snow down to the lake just yet.  But hey, it is not even Halloween.  And it is not 2004 (we had 5 feet on the ground at 7K by Halloween that year!!)

It is raining.

Well, last night I decided to go to sleep instead of posting up.  Figured I wait till morning.  And now it is raining.  Four one hundredths of an inch so far on the west side of town.  Plenty more to come.  A quick look at the radar suggests this is just wrapping off the storm and into the local hillsides.  The main part of the system is still well north with the first heavy bands currently near Point Reyes.  Expect fair amount of rain today.  In the Santa Cruz mountains totals could exceed an inch by Saturday morning.  The heaviest rain will come through late morning to mid day and last through evening.  By the early morning hours on Saturday, we should see a break in the precip.  Clouds persist.  High in the upper 60s today.  Rain pushes as far south as Big Sur, with about an inch expected there this evening.  The northern portion of the state is going to get walloped with water and upper elevation snow.

The fall surf season is in full swing.  

It looks like most of the daylight portion of Saturday will be cloudy, but not raining.  Rain will fill in later, and mostly to our north.  Still, expect some possible evening showers, with rain coming after midnight and filling in through Sunday morning.  It looks fairly wet on Sunday through the day, with the heaviest precip currently forecast for the afternoon.  All of that should be east of us by Monday, and high pressure begins to fill back in.

Two more things.  Big swell turning huge over the weekend.  Strong south winds on it now tearing it to bits.  Be careful when approaching the ocean this weekend and maybe give your health a chance and sit it out.  Bacteria levels are likely to be off the hook when the lagoons release due to all the rain.  And second, it still looks like we get hot again next week.  Oh yeah.

Rain is a Coming.

Fun moderate swell the past few days.  Calm conditions were a plus.  This cool foggy weather will soon turn to cool wet weather.  Thursday should be similiar to the past few days.  Rain moves slowly down the coast Friday.  Commuters be ready.  The first rains pull out the oils and slick the road.  Rain arrive overnight for the city (that is SF), and moves south through the morning.  We should not be surprised by light rain before noon here in town, but the bulk looks to arrive in the early afternoon hours, tapering into the evening.  Like a half an inch or so.  Saturday morning we could escape showers, but another wave is expected for Saturday evening.  A third on Sunday evening might be deflected to our north.   And the forth on Monday evening will most certainly, as high pressure sets in.  We could see temps as warm as 80F by the middle of next week.  Love this place.




I'll try to get a better look at how much, when and where, but for now plan for a wet weekend in Santa Cruz.  The mornings look like the best bet to get outside.  Or just get out them wellies and slickers and go a stomping.  Surf looks to really pick up this weekend, with some XXL stuff possible for Sunday/Monday.  Conditions looks questionable at this point, and possibly stormy.  Be careful if you are going out.  And consider run-off.  More tomorrow.

Winter is coming.

Swell.  Rain.  Chilliness.  It is all coming or already here.  A fun sized long period swell hit from the northwest yesterday.  More comes Thursday, and possibly a big swell for next Monday.  But the big news for most will be the rain storm coming this Friday.  This is not your typical mid October surprise that brings a quarter inch of rain and is gone after 12 hours.  We can expect rain to arrive sometime Friday and fall off and on through Monday, dropping well over an inch in town, and two and half in the local mountains.  Parts of the northern Sierra and coast are looking at upwards of 5 inches, and the crest near Tahoe at about three inches.  Impressive amounts of wind will come with this system.  Button down the hatches folks.  Bring in things from the yard.  Close the car window.  This is going to be a great start to our water year.

Cool and foggy through Thursday.  Some breaks in the grey mid day.  South flow.  Highs in the upper 60s, with overnight lows in the mid to upper 50s.  I'll post up more details about the weekend before Thursday evening.  There.  I made a promise.

Fall Opener?

Today there will was little bit of NPAC wind swell in the the water.  Nothing impressive by local October standards.  But a little taste.  The opener is brewing out past by the dateline today.  We will have a small to moderate long period swell arriving late in the day Sunday.  Get your game ready.  We have some nice weather to enjoy on the way there.  The warming trend peaks out Friday and Saturday with temps in the low 80s.  Friday will have some moderate afternoon winds, but Saturday looks like it will be fairly calm.  Could be some awesome beach weather.

Sunday will be a touch cooler, in the mid 70s.  Next work week we see a cold front move through with temps in the low 70s Monday and upper 60s Tuesday.  A low pressure will move ashore in the PNW mid week, with a very slight chance that we could see light rain as far south as the Bay Area.  Doubt we will, but it is worth staying tuned.  At the very least, we will see cooler weather next week.

Awakenings

A drizzle and heavy, humid day here in town.  A few inches of snow on the peaks.  And stirrings in the northern Pacific.  We are in the turn.  A low cloud layer this morning will give way to sun, moderate north west breezes and some warmth.  It should hit 70F this afternoon for the first time in a few days.  No real change.  Warming trend through the end of the week.  Topping at about 80F.  Not quite hot weather, but pleasant warm autumnal weather.  Crisp mornings with overnight lows in the low to mid 50s.  Good ripening weather.  Not so good setting weather.

I've recently planted fava, which should over winter nicely, and string beans, which I hope to have a quick harvest of around the holidays.  If we have a nice fall, that could be the result.  Or runts.  Anyway, the long range still have some storms coming our way.  I'm not counting on that happening just yet, but I'll keep an eye out and post up here.

Smaller surf this week with the souths out of the picture.  Small NW mid period wind swell builds through Thursday.  Waist high in town, and maybe head high at OB.  Looks like we could be seeing much more coming out of the NPAC next week.

Crisp

I was much cooler this weekend.  And I felt two drops on my cheek yesterday afternoon while hanging with the kids at Wilder Ranch.  But nothing really fell around here.  A dusting fell in the mountains.  The Kirkwood cam looked mostly white early his morning and there were reports of snow down to 5000 feet around Reno.  Chilly.  The next wave pushes through today, mostly to our north.  And while the PNW stays wet for the week, we will begin drying.  Today, Monday, will see some clouds later in the day and remain cool in the low 60s.  Tuesday sees its clouds in the morning, and warms to the upper 60s.  From there we see more sun and more warmth building all week, with a chance of hitting just about 80F for the weekend.

Things are getting active in the NPAC.  We may see some smaller N and NW swells being generated this week.  When we look into the mid and long term models, we see an increasingly active pattern with more, larger swells being generated.  It even suggests a moderate rain storm for around the 16th.  That is way too far out to have any certainty at all.  Still, it is interesting to see.

The Loma fire has burned almost 4,500 acres and is now 81% contained.  Shout out to all of our fire fighters working hard out there.  The fire is no longer visible from Santa Cruz, as it is burning down toward Santa Clara on the far side of the hill.  But there are still many local residents out of their homes.  Apparently, some base humans are out and about soliciting donations for the fire victims, under the name of Cal Fire, illegally and  pocketing the money.  Don't give to these guys.  If you want to help, contact one of these organizations:

Salvation Army of Gilroy: Address: 6701 Camino Arroyo, Gilroy, CA 95020, Phone: (408) 842-3991 ~ Accepting in-kind donations of clothing, household goods and toys.

Salvation Army of Santa Cruz: Address: 812 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, Phone: (831) 429-8118 ~ Accepting in-kind donations of clothing, bedding, materials, as well as any food donations.

Second Harvest Food Bank: Address: 800 Ohlone Pkwy, Watsonville, CA 95076, Phone: (831) 722-7110 ~ Accepting any bulk food donations or smaller items.

We are into October and the weather machine is turned back on.  Stay posted here. I'll be posting up several times a week until we start to see some real excitement.  Until then.