Rain in SoCal

[steve 9atx]

I'm surprised my the lack of chatter re: the rain I see on radar in SoCal.  Maybe everyone's outside with their heads back and their tongues in the air!

Steve

[tropicalb]

wow...actual measurable rain right now in San Marcos.....who'd a thunk it?

[epicure3]

Now, ladies and gentlemen.....I don't want you to all thank me at once. You see, for better or worse, I am the cause of today's sweet rain storm.....

We're taking the kids to Disneyland today. Uggghhh

It seems that washing your car the day before just doesn't cut it anymore. You need something bigger.  

So I took the day off of work and am just sitting here in the house watching the rain come down and it is just beautiful. The water is running down the large leaves of pritchardia palms and ficus lyrata down into the dusty, salty soil. It's quite spectacular. However, planting  of a new euterpe edulis and heliconia will have to wait.

[doubravsky]

We're all stuck in traffic jams 'cause everybody forgot how to drive in the rain!

My kids were jumping around this morning because they FINALLY get to use their umbrellas they bought like a year ago!

[Peter]

Rain-good!  Tomorrow night's forecast low-30d.  Not good.

[happ]

Per the NWS-LA 11-30-07 10:00AM

AS A RESULT...THE TROPICAL MOISTURE IS SURGING UP THE EAST FLANK OF THE CLOSED HAS BEEN ABLE TO PUSH AS FAR NORTHWARD AS SANTA BARBARA COUNTY.

The interaction of 2 distinct systems is responsible for our rain today    A cold trough out of the north Pacific moved further west off shore than forecast & pulled the warm system off Baja into SoCal.  The rain will move east into Arizona & usher in chilly air behind the cold front.  Sunday morning could mean frost inland if winds are absent but the airmass should quickly warm up by Monday.

We are now entering the time of year where every potential storm is tracked closely for desperately needed rain  

[MattyB]

Booooooooyaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!

1:00pm PST, .40 of an inch (1.016 cm) so far and going steadily!!!!!!!!!                  

It started nice and slow early this morning too so I'm hoping that my new, hydrophobic dirt has had time to get wet so it dosen't run off as bad.  The land is happy.  I am happy.

[PalmGuyWC]

Jezz, flash flood warnings for central San Diego County?? What next?  An earthquake? We are dry as a bone to the north.

Dick

[freakypalmguy]

I've allready gone through three sets of clothes curing some drainage problems on my property caused by the guys laying Verizon fiber optics. Sigh!

It's been pouring non stop at my place since about 5 am.

Matt

[Cycadcenter]

Fallbrook Report

2.6" up to 5:00 pm

Bruce

[DoomsDave]

(steve 9atx @ Nov. 30 2007,10:00)

QUOTE

I'm surprised my the lack of chatter re: the rain I see on radar in SoCal.  Maybe everyone's outside with their heads back and their tongues in the air!

Steve

Inside, with my tongue in a beer!

To celebrate!

RAIN!  Rhymes with "Feeling no pain!"

Ahem.

But . . . . .

There is a danger of a freeze, too.  You can feel it in the knife-edged breeze.

IF we keep our cloud cover, we should be okay.  If not, well, January '07 redux?  Hope not . . . .  

dave

[happ]

You can keep celebrating with face in brewski, Dave  :laugh:  The rain is exiting to the east tonight [wish it would stay a while longer] but the airmass behind it is not arctic [just typical winter chill after the passing of a cold front [which will move through tomorrow.

40's are forecast for most lowland regions [maybe 30's in coldest valleys] for a few nights & tomorrow should be the coldest day since last winter [possibly below 60F] in places.  But next week will warm up nicely & the soil will quickly dry out [back to irrigation  

In the meantime, let's enjoy the smell of moisture in the air  

BTW, it's worth keeping an eye on the weather in the PacificNW where there have been brief modified periods of arctic air [seattle could experience snowfall down to the Puget Sound tomorrow, esp northward & heavy snow in the Cascades  

[BS Man about Palms]

I started a thread in the main area before I read this.  I ended up with about 3".  And John, I thought it was my scheduled construction for today.....

[sonoranfans]

Looks like an inch of rain here in arizona, its been awhile.  Overnight low was 62F in my yard, drizzling on and off the whole time.  Nice slow rain, it soaks into ground completely, no runoff.  Two of my bizzies opened spears overnight in the rain, the largest one was the 9th spear since the beginning of may.  Syagrus also opened new spears, look better than they have all year.

[happ]

Glad that Arizona got in on the storm & agree that the garden is happy w/ continued growth on all palms except a pair of near-dormant veitchia that haven't grown more than a few inches since transplanted last summer  

San Diego county was the winner w/ excess of 3"/0.07m [Oceanside/Rancho Bernardo - hope mud slides aren't a problem.

49F/9.4c was first night below 50F since 4/19 & today's 62F/16.6c was coldest max since 4/24.  Tonight could very well drop into mid 40's w/ 30's low valleys [though not to freezing levels    

It will warm up quickly this week but humidity should be higher due to recent rains.  Speaking of rain:

NWS-SD 12-01-07 1345

AS S IS TYPICAL OF THE 6-7 DAY

PROG...MODELS ARE VARYING AMONGST THEMSELVES...BUT THERE IS THE

POTENTIAL FOR AN UPPER LEVEL LOW SIMILAR TO THIS RECENT ONE.  WHERE THE LOW CLOSES OFF TO OUR SW AND TROPICAL/SUBTROPICAL MOISTURE

MOVES NORTH INTO SO-CAL AROUND THE EAST SIDE OF THE LOW. OTHER

SOLUTIONS HAVE THE TROUGH MOVING BY TO THE NORTH/NORTHEAST WITH

ENOUGH MOISTURE FOR SCATTERED SHOWERS. EITHER SOLUTION FAVORS AT

LEAST A CHANCE OF PRECIP FOR AT LEAST FRIDAY.    

[epicure3]

(happ @ Dec. 01 2007,19:48)

QUOTE

EITHER SOLUTION FAVORS AT

LEAST A CHANCE OF PRECIP FOR AT LEAST FRIDAY.    

don't even kid........

bring it on!!!!

[happ]

I think "bring it on" is about to happen   w/ a "big" storm in our future.

Really cold this morning [42.8F/5.9c on one of my thermometers though average minimum of all 3 instruments was 44.2F/6.7c.]  We've hit the bottom of the cold [what were minimums in San Diego County?  It could become quite warm this week w/ possible 90F temps.  

The real news is the continued discussion of rather significant rainfall heading our way next weekend.  Here's the opinion of one member of the American Meteorological Society-LA chapter

12-2-07 6:35

"The latest 12Z GFS has bumped up the precipitation over the Los Angeles Basin for next early Friday morning, December 7th, at 4:00 AM local time to Saturday evening, December 8th, at around 6:00 PM. The 1000-500 mb thickness analysis shows a 36 hour rainfall total of about 3.50" right over Central Los Angeles County.  However, their QPF totals for the same period don't match and have not on other past forecasts.  Also, the 850 mb winds have been consistently showing what Curt notified us all about just about 2 hours ago - southerly at 40 - 50 kts. Since this run is within the 126-138 hour forecast range - we may see our first "BIG STORM" over Southern California in almost 2 years. If this scenario does hold true beyond these runs - we may see some significant mud flows in the burn areas.  Los Feliz Hills in Griffith Park right now looks like the hills of Las Vegas; so if these hills get 24-36 hour rainfall totals close to 3.50" - 4.00" - and depending on the rainfall rates per hour - we could see some pretty nasty situations unfold in these highly populated areas.  One more note, there also are seems to be quite a bit of tropical connection with this system - like the last one that nailed Arizona.

I have to say, I am quite excited about this forecast. Keep doing the rain dance guys!

Jeff"

[BS Man about Palms]

(BS, Man about Palms @ Dec. 01 2007,09:40)

QUOTE

I started a thread in the main area before I read this.  I ended up with about 3".  And John, I thought it was my scheduled construction for today.....

So, of course my "rescheduled" window moving for next Saturday appears it will bring rain too.....

I wonder if I should put off opening the house until spring or just keep "scheduling and canceling" to everybody's plants watered.   ???

[Shon]

Really cold last night got to 37.Cloud cover went away fast last night with barely any wind brrr.

[osideterry]

I just brought my 3 tenderest palms into the garage. It feels a lot colder than the 47F my thermometer is reading. I'm not ready to subject 5-gallon palms to a freak freeze.

[MattyB]

Really cold this morning [42.8F/5.9c on one of my thermometers though average minimum of all 3 instruments was 44.2F/6.7c.]  We've hit the bottom of the cold [what were minimums in San Diego County?

Happ,  for Sunday, December 2nd I was 43.5F as my low.

for Monday, December 3rd I was 46F as my low.

I got a few new weather stations so I'm stoked.  I'm curious to compare temps with all on the board like we did last winter.  This way I can gauge my new place.

[epicure3]

My low was 43 on my slope and 48 on the south side of the house. 46 and 50 the day before.

[osideterry]

False alarm. I only hit 39F, and have already put the 3 palms back outside. Weather.com predicted my low exactly, again.

[MattyB]

John, that south side of your house is a winner of a microclimate.  The Hyaphorbes l & v both show it.

[epicure3]

(MattyB @ Dec. 03 2007,14:56)

QUOTE

John, that south side of your house is a winner of a microclimate.  The Hyaphorbes l & v both show it.

Yes, I just wish it was bigger. Maybe I could cut out part of the house.............naw, she'd never go for it.

[MattyB]

Ha.....Well, the reason that it's such a warm spot is because it's cramped.  The more room you make the colder it'll get.

Shoot, make the spot smaller and you could grow a Corypha! ???

[happ]

Can certainly relate to the notion of carving out more space for palms.  The favored south-facing position happens to be my most limited   & have literally taken out all the concrete right up to the road.  Winter sun up against rocks/asphalt is as a perfect as is possible at our latitude.

Highly recommend http://www.ambientweather.com/stprraga.html

for an 11" rain gauge once utilized by the NWS prior to digital instruments.

Wx nerds are in a frenzy over the coming storm but everyone is afraid to definitively forecast rain when we have been disappointed so much over the past 18 months  

Take a look at the surf  

NWS-LA 12-3-07 1735 h

AREAS NORTH OF POINT CONCEPTION COULD SEE BREAKERS REACH AS HIGH

AS 28 FEET...ESPECIALLY TUESDAY NIGHT. EXPOSED WEST FACING BEACHES

SOUTH OF POINT CONCEPTION COULD SEE BREAKERS REACH 15 FEET IN THE

FAVORED LOCATIONS.

Hurricane force winds in PacNW are generating huge swells.  The storm for SoCal should arrive late Thursday w/ potential 4"+ rainfall & likely mud slides   oh well but hey, winter is here  

LA: 77F/49F

[MattyB]

Spring Valley yesterday and this morning:  78F/53F