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 …
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 …
Toyon, or “Christmas-berry,” one of the more distinctive shrubs of Southern California’s native chaparral plant community, are now flaunting clusters of bright red berries. In coastal San Diego, toyon can be found wherever large patches …
Poinsettias, a favorite of backyard gardeners, are now exhibiting their scarlet, petal-like bracts, just in time for the holidays. The onset of 14-hour-long nights triggers their behavior: In San Diego this condition is met just …
Ripening Palm Fruit, hanging in great clusters on California’s native fan palms (Washingtonia filifera), can be seen this month. Native Americans of centuries past utilized the black, pea-sized fruit, which consists of a deliciously sweet …
Atmospheric Ice-Crystal Effects are often observed, starting this time of year, because of the frequent appearance of high clouds made of tiny bits of ice. The most familiar of these optical effects is the 22˚-radius …
“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 …
November’s and December’s Vividly Colorful 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 …
The seductive village of Villa Angostura sits between mountain and lake, Tahoe style, an hour north of Bariloche (also well worth your time) but a world apart. Villa Angostura lies on the famed Seven Lakes …
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 the 260 wintering sites on the West Coast lie within …
Local Temperatures should be declining most rapidly during this time of year, according to more than a century of local meteorological records. With every successive week, daily maximum temperatures are declining by about .75˚ Fahrenheit, …