Sweet Gums and Sycamores
Liquidambar Trees, or sweet gums, the deciduous trees gracing front yards, parks, and campuses throughout the San Diego area, have been putting on an exceptionally colorful show. The leaves of some varieties turn to purple or red; the leaves of …
Leonid Meteor Shower
The Annual Leonid Meteor Shower, famous for its outbursts over the period 1998-2002, has now settled down to a modest display of only about 10-20 visible events per hour (as seen under clear, dark skies in a remote mountain or …
Santa Anas in November
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 …
Acorns, Monarchs, and Tarantula Spiders
Acorn Dropping reaches a crescendo early this month in the Cuyamaca, Laguna,and Palomar mountains. Wiry scrub oaks, massive canyon live oaks, and the golden-leaved black oaks all contribute to the growing collection of acorns littering the ground. Acorn woodpeckers are …
Declining Temps
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 3/4° Fahrenheit, and daily minimum temperatures are …
The Taurid Meteor Shower
The Taurid Meteor Shower, featuring about 10-15 visible events per hour -- as seen under clear, dark skies -- peaks this year around Wednesday, November 4. Best times for viewing are approximately 10pm to 3am. Individual meteors belonging to this …
The End of Daylight Savings Time
Daylight Savings Time Ends this Sunday morning, November 1, at 2am. With the resumption of standard time, midday (the time when the sun reaches its maximum altitude in the south part of the sky) will again be close to 12 …
Autumn Trends
The Planet Jupiter gleams high in the southern sky after dark during the entire month of October. Jupiter's Galilean satellites, the four largest and brightest moons circling the planet, can be easily observed this month using equipment as simple as …
The Orionid Meteor Shower Happening Now
The Orionid Meteor Shower peaks on the evening of Tuesday, October 20 and the morning of October 21. Viewing of this relatively minor meteor shower will start when Orion rises (around 10pm). Meteor rates will continue to rise into the …
Crescent Moon Tonight
A delicate crescent moon, its cusps diagonally inclined, sinks to the western horizon as twilight fades on Monday evening, October 19. On the following evening, a somewhat more robust crescent moon follows a similar but more delayed trek to the …
October's Lowest Tides
Coinciding with afternoon hours on sequential days, low tides usher in several months of excellent tidepooling opportunities. A -0.5 foot tide occurs at 3:24pm on Saturday, October 17, a -0.6 foot tide occurs at 4:05pm on the 18th, and a …
Morning Webs and Autumn Leaves
Spider Webs, decorated with myriads of tiny dew droplets, are a beautiful sight on foggy autumn mornings. Look for them in San Diego's wild canyons and park areas, or in your own backyard. Leaves are beginning to turn in coastal …
Dance of Three Planets
Venus, Saturn and Mercury, perform an intricate "dance" in the eastern sky at the first light of dawn during the first half of October. Venus, overwhelmingly the brightest of the three, hovers conspicuously a moderate angle above the horizon the …
Ground Fog
Dense ground fogs are a trademark of the onset of autumn along San Diego's coastal strip. Fog materializes during the night and early morning hours when moist marine air that has settled in valleys and low areas is chilled below …
Black Oaks
The tawny hues of the black oak tree are just beginning to highlight the slopes of San Diego County's higher mountains. Named for the dark coloring of its bark, especially when wet, the black oak is the only deciduous oak …
Chinese Flame Trees
Chinese flame trees are now displaying colorful clusters of orange, reddish, or salmon-pink seed pods. Good specimens line the south end of Balboa Drive in Balboa Park, and Lake Murray Boulevard through San Diego's San Carlos district. Most of the …
Sand Heads Offshore
As the beach season winds down, San Diego County's coastline is padded by what is likely the deepest and widest accumulations of sand we'll see this year. Many stretches of the coastline are vulnerable to powerful waves associated with winter …
Coastal Sage-Scrub
San Diego's Coastal Sage-Scrub Vegetation is now at the very nadir of its growth cycle. Shades of gray and yellow have replaced the bright greens that carpeted many of the still-wild coastal hillsides up until April or May of this …
Smoggy Days Ahead
The smoggiest days of the year are most likely to occur during the next two months. Persistent temperature inversions (warmer air overlying cool marine air) are frequent this time of year. These inversions conspire with the mountainous topography of East …
Escaping the Heat of the Santa Anas
Late September or Early October signals the beginning of Santa Ana winds, which may continue intermittently through the winter. Early Santa Anas are often responsible for coastal San Diego's hottest and driest days of the year. Records show that 62 …