Local sycamore trees, Santa Ana winds, conjunction of Venus and crescent moon

Sycamores, found in San Diego’s coastal and foothill canyons as well as in suburban and park landscaping, stand at their autumnal best this time of year. Stroll beneath their crispy, rustling canopies and catch the sunbeams scattering among their mottled trunks and yellow-brown leaves. Some of San Diego’s biggest native sycamores reside in Lopez Canyon, a part of Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve near Sorrento Valley. Hundreds of sycamores can be also be seen in Marian Bear Park (San Clemente Canyon) along Freeway 52 between University City and Clairemont.

Santa Ana winds at sunrise in Oceanside

Alex Baltov

Santa Ana Winds in San Diego County often reach their greatest intensity during November, particularly at the mountain passes, where dry air from a high-pressure area over the interior deserts swoops coastward toward a low-pressure area offshore. The subsiding air warms rapidly while it descends, resulting in 80°–90° temperatures close to the coast. While passing over the mountains, though, the dry air can be surprisingly cool — 60° or less in the daytime.

Don’t miss an amazing conjunction on November 9 between 3 am and sunrise in the eastern sky. The crescent moon and Venus will be side-by-side at almost equal brightness. If the clouds don’t show up, you’ll be able to see one of the best conjunctions of the year.