Summer Thundershowers, Chaparral, Venus, Mars, Mercury, and the Waxing Moon
Summer Thundershowers, Chaparral, Venus, Mars, Mercury, and the Waxing Moon
Summer thundershowers, having blessed the eastern margin of San Diego County with welcome, if spotty precipitation of late, have triggered a minor growth spurt among certain kinds of vegetation. In the desert, for example, the spidery ocotillo can grow an …
Warm Water Temps, Low Tides, Diminishing High Tides, and Venus
Warm water temperatures, into the 70s F over the past couple of months, won't last much longer. As fall approaches, shorter days and increasingly oblique solar radiation will mean that less and less energy will be supplied to the ocean …
Thunderstorms, Shore Birds, Jasmine, and the Milky Way
Thunderstorms have visited the Imperial Valley and parts of eastern San Diego County over the past several weeks. The seasonal arrival of moisture from the east and south, more or less typical for late summer, contributes to the greening of …
Warm Weather, Ocean Temps, Brilliant Venus, and a Full Moon
San Diego's warmest weather of the year (on average), ocean water temperatures peak, brilliant Venus, and a full moon
San Diego's warmest weather, on average, should occur in August through early September, according to statistics compiled from several decades of measurements taken near the San Diego International Airport. In an average year, coastal residents enjoy an average daily temperature …
Thunderheads, Sandpipers, Naked-Eye Planets, and the Perseid Meteor Shower
Towering thunderheads, various sandpipers, naked-eye planets, and the Perseid meteor shower
Towering thunderheads have been seen hovering over the wall of mountains east of San Diego in recent weeks. Afternoon rainshowers have already dampened Palomar, Cuyamaca and Mount Laguna on several occasions, with more of the same expected at times during …
Low Tides, Grunion, Crescent Moon, Dawn Sky
A series of extreme low tides in late July/early August can be enjoyed by true "morning people" only! Check out the local tidepool life without hordes of other people around. Thursday, July 31 features a minus 1.5-foot tide at 3:26 …
Birdwatchers, Jupiter, Fleas, and the Delta Aquarid Meteor Shower
Birdwatchers, Jupiter, Fleas, and the Delta Aquarid Meteor Shower
Birdwatchers need not despair now that the winter migrants are gone. Plenty of shore birds can be found on summer evenings in the natural coastal wetland areas of San Diego County. From south to north the publicly accessible coastal wetlands …
AKA Hay Moon, Wort Moon, Moon of Blood, Fallow Moon, and Thunder Moon
Cumulonimbus clouds, elderberry, orioles, and the full moon.
Cumulonimbus clouds, or thunderheads, are most likely to form over San Diego County's deserts and mountains during the latter part of the summer season, beginning about late July. The clouds appear by midafternoon —- often the result of moist, tropical …
Native Lilies and Cicadas in the Driest Month
The driest month, native lilies, and cicadas.
July is San Diego's driest month, according to precipitation data compiled since the year 1850. Only four hundredths of an inch of rain falls on average this month, compared to almost two inches in January -- the wettest month. July …
A Crescent Moon and Jupiter Watch Over Grunion Runs
The heat of summer, grunion runs, a slender crescent moon, and Jupiter
The heat of summer will most likely reach its feverish peak in inland San Diego County during the month of July. (Coastal San Diego is different: since its weather is greatly affected by the slowly warming mass of ocean water …
Latest Sunset of the Year
Low tides, June bugs, agaves, latest sunset of the year.
Early July's extreme low tides are for early risers only! Check out the local tidepool life without hordes of other people around. Wednesday, July 2 features a minus 1.7-foot tide at 3:39 a.m. Thursday, July 3 brings a minus 1.8-foot …
Cobbled Shorelines Welcome Summer Solstice
Cobbled shorelines, colorful foliage, magnolias, and summer solstice
Cobbled shorelines are greeting some beachgoers early this summer season, as in past years. North County beaches tend to suffer most, as the natural sand replenishment in the area is disrupted by dams blocking the flow of sediment down the …
Earliest Sunrise of the Year
June gloom, elderberry, crickets chirping, the earliest sunrise, and a full moon this week.
June gloom, the cool and intermittently overcast conditions likely to dominate the beach and coastal areas through the remainder of this month, mocks the already sizzling temperatures inland. If it weren't for the ocean's enormous resistance to changes in temperature, …
Ocean Temps to Desert Annuals
Ocean water temperatures are rising into the mid- or high-60s this month, perhaps to reach the low 70s in July or August. The usual early-summer cool weather along San Diego's coastline, disappointing to many tourists, is mostly caused by the …
Wildflowers, Oleander, Wild Roses, Agaves
Spring wildflowers may have largely dried up in most areas of San Diego County, but in the cooler coastal enclaves such as Cabrillo National Monument and Torrey Pines State Reserve, several kinds remain. Look for paintbrush, purple nightshade, coreopsis, sea …
June Gloom to Mule Deer
"June gloom," the generally dreary, overcast, late spring weather along San Diego's coastline, has already begun and could intensify next month. Occasionally, the low clouds will linger for several days. This is usually triggered by a "Catalina eddy," in which …
Full Moon Over Wild Hyacinths and Buckwheat
Wild hyacinths and mariposa lilies have popped out on hillsides within the burn area of last October's Witch Creek Fire. Both flowers arise from underground bulbs, considered delicacies by the California Indians. Burned areas around Lake Hodges and Lake Poway …