Outdoors
Recent Chilly Days and Nights only confirm that San Diego’s lowest temperatures (according to more than a century of weather records) tend to occur during the month of January. January’s mean temperature at Lindbergh Field …
The Fabled “Green Flash” at sunset or sunrise can sometimes be seen on crystal-clear days in January. At the instant the sun’s upper rim is last visible at sunset, and also at the instant when …
Green and Gold Will Be The Colors of the coastal region’s natural landscape in early 2026. The recent rain will trigger the growth of annual grasses and weeds, with greens replacing yellows and browns. At …
Ripening Palm Fruit, Hanging In Great Clusters on California’s native fan palms (Washingtonia filifera), can be seen (and tasted) this month. The black, pea-sized fruit consists of a deliciously sweet but almost paper-thin skin surrounding …
Toyon, or “Christmas-berry,” one of the more distinctive shrubs of Southern California’s native chaparral plant community, is now flaunting clusters of red berries. Here in coastal San Diego, toyon can be found wherever large patches …
Gray Whale Migration Off San Diego County’s Coast peaks from now until February. The best view spots from land are high points close to the surf. Aside from the whale watching overlook at Cabrillo National …
With Only About 10 Hours Of Daylight, San Diego must endure its darkest and gloomiest nights of the year during this week and next. After rising, the sun struggles to an altitude of only 34 …
Liquidambar Trees, Or Sweet Gums, the colorfully deciduous trees gracing front yards, parks, and campuses throughout the San Diego area, have been putting on a good show for the past month. The maplelike leaves of …
Monarch Butterflies Arrive Along The California Coast this month, migrating from their summer homes in the Sierra Nevada and the Rocky Mountains. Some 25 of their 260 wintering sites on the West Coast lie within …
“Rainbow Season” Arrives With The First Rains Of Late Fall. Scattered showers are best for rainbow watching: sunlight refracting and reflecting through the raindrops causes two bows to appear — an intense circular arc at 42˚ …
November’s And December’s Picturesque Sunsets And Sunrises are no accident. This is the time of year when high cirrus clouds, often the precursors of storms, sweep through our area with some regularity. When cirrus or …