4:00 pm – never got out of the 30’s up here, and with the wind, it seemed even colder.

NOAA puts the next storm in on Friday night, possibly thru Monday,and a SLO forecast puts it in on Saturday and last thru Tuesday. All seem to agree there is another storm headed our way. One report indicates snow down to 2,000 ft on New Year’s Day. That could be fun!

10:00 am – 1/2 inch of water froze solid in the rain barrel; the dog dish frozen solid; 35 degrees, currently, but lots of blue skies and sunshine. Very busy day on top of this mountain today, but will keep an eye on my usual reports as I can. Almost 2011, and I have something planned for tomorrow that I think you will enjoy!

9:30 pm – frost is on the deck, the cold has settled in. It is 33 degrees. I am ready to cuddle up. Check with you all tomorrow!

2:00 pm – County Rds working on clearing the slides on N-F Rd. and here is an unreported slide at Shale Point, that was cleaned up about a 1/2 an hour ago. Photos by Rock Knocker

12:30 pm – the slide near Limekiln has apparently been cleared, as it is no longer showing up on CHP website.

11:15 am – *IMPORTANT* CHP reports a new slide just south of Limekiln. The one at Esalen has been cleared. It is really moving, now. Be careful out there!

10:30 am – Local resident reports three slides on N-F Rd. west of the summit, making it virtually impassable. While he was able to get down, he does not anticipate being able to get home, UNLESS the County Road crew clears it today. No word about whether that will happen. N-F Rd is also closed on FHL at river crossing due to high water and bridge repair. They try to open it when possible, and repairs should be finished by mid-January. Not recommended in the meantime.

9:00 am – NEXRAD looks pretty clear, and CHP is no longer showing the slide near Esalen. Wind is still gusting, and the day is gray and overcast.

8:00 am – in the last 12 hours, I received 2.5 inches of rain! Whew. Bit of wind going on, too.

*IMPORTANT* Mud/Rock SLIDE just north of Esalen blocking NB lane per CHP. KSBW is reporting Highway One closed

8:45 pm – finally, the rain has arrived, but the high winds have not. Still pretty quiet.

7:45 pm – Paso Robles is reporting high winds and rain. Fresno is reporting the same, but up here, it is quiet – no wind, and the drizzle is so minimal, I had to open the door and shine a flashlight to make sure anything was happening.

Here’s the current water vapor map. Thanks, Dave!

NWS Radar:

4:00 pm – by 4 am, predictions are for 1 and 1/2 to 2 inches of rain in the coastal mountains. Rain started in King City just over 15 mins. ago. Looks like it is raining in Big Sur, too! BTW, for those of you keeping track, I forgot to post my rain totals for Christmas, which was 1.25, bringing the season total up to 20 inches.

3:30 pm – the rain has not yet come to this part of the coast, although the clouds are heavy and ominous. Paso Robles reports that a light rain has already started there, about 15 mins ago.

AS OF 2:15 PM PST TUESDAY…THE MAIN FOCUS IS ON THE UPCOMING STORMY WEATHER LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

AN ASSOCIATED VERY STRONG COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE DISTRICT TONIGHT. WITH VERY STRONG ISENTROPIC LIFT…RAIN WILL BE HEAVY AT TIMES THIS EVENING… STARTING IN THE NORTH BAY…MOVING SOUTH OVERNIGHT.

WIND WILL ALSO BE AN ISSUE. 925 MB WINDS ARE FORECAST TO BE 50 KT AHEAD AND WITH THE FRONT. FALLING TREES AND DOWNED POWER LINES ARE LIKELY ACROSS THE DISTRICT TONIGHT. CURRENTLY THERE IS A WIND ADVISORY FOR THE ENTIRE DISTRICT FOR TONIGHT.

TEMPS WILL BE SIGNIFICANTLY COLDER AFTER THE FRONT PASSES BY WED MORNING. SHOWERS WILL TAPER OFF DURING THE MORNING HOURS. THERE COULD BE A LITTLE SNOW MIXED IN IN THE HIGHER HILLS. WITH STRONG COLD AIR ADVECTION AND A TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT WINDS WILL REMAIN GUSTY AT TIMES.

A WEAK WAVE DROPPING DOWN FROM THE NORTH WILL BRING A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS TO THE DISTRICT ON THURSDAY. WITH THE COLD AIR…SNOW SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE IN THE HILLS.

Today is such a gorgeous day, it is hard to believe we have a serious storm coming in tonight. My SLO forecaster is predicting it will hit that area between 1 and 4 am tomorrow morning. I’ll be keeping an eye on this one, as it develops, but you know I have to enjoy this infrequent pleasure before the storm tonight/tomorrow. He’s predicting 1-2 inches in the coastal mountains.

The next storm is predicted to hit us Tuesday afternoon/evening, bringing the possibility of 3/4 of an inch to an inch and a half to our mountains. (moi)

I received two great water vapor satellite photos yesterday, thanks, Mike and Dave, but I was really busy cooking, cleaning, and visiting with family for the day, so I just didn’t have the inclination to bring my blog up-to-date. I am sure you all understand.

The storms after Tuesday night/Wednesday morning are behaving erratically, and NOAA forecasters are having difficulty with their models in predicting when and where and how strong these storms may be. I’ll keep an eye on things.

Now, we get to prepare for New Year’s! Hope you had a great day yesterday!

10 pm UPDATE – ah … nothing like cooking a full turkey with all the fixings in a tiny trailer oven, and then carrying it from the cook house to the main room outside through a hurricane. Big Sur living at its best. I asked my family for holiday combat pay, and they agreed. Does it get any better than this?

Sorry, but the holidays and family kept me busy all day. I hope it did you too!

Love and blessings to all!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

I woke this morning to high winds and slight rain, which was quite a surprise, as the last time I looked at the forecast, the rain was predicted to come in this afternoon or evening. Of course, I went to NOAA discussion and discovered:

THE LEADING EDGE OF THE FRONT REACHING THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA COASTLINE BETWEEN 1500 (7 am PST) AND 2100Z (1 pm PST). AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO REACH GALE FORCE ACROSS THE COASTAL WATERS AND WINDS ARE ALSO EXPECTED TO REACH ADVISORY LEVELS ALONG THE IMMEDIATE COASTLINE, THE SALINAS VALLEY AND MOUNTAIN FORECAST ZONES.

[There is] A FAIRLY STEEP COLD FRONT WITH OMEGA VALUES UP TO 20 UBARS AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT. WITH THIS STRUCTURE IN MIND EXPECT PERIODS OF MODERATE RAIN, WHICH COULD BE HEAVY AT TIMES, WITH THE FRONTAL PASSAGE BETWEEN 1800 (10 am) AND 0000Z (noon). MINOR HYDROLOGICAL CONCERNS MAY ARISE DURING THIS PERIOD OF STEADY RAIN AND MAY RESULT IN SMALL STREAM FLOODING AND PONDING ON THE ROADWAYS.

BTW, over an inch of rain expected in the mtns of Big Sur, and looks like an inch and 1/2 in the Santa Cruz mtns! Oh, boy!

Stay warm, dry, and above all, SAFE! Now I’m off to put a turkey in the oven. Enjoy the gift of family and friends. I am!