Category: 2013-2014 Weather

Boulder in Road, Highway One, Big Sur

UPDATE – Correction, incident near Coast Gallery, mm 40. Here is the CHP update:

Detail Information
1:29 PM 5 [20] A27-014 SO DPTY W/UNIT WHILE HE WAITS FOR 1185 FOR HIS PATROL VEH [Shared]
1:25 PM 4 [19] A27-014 97 W/SO MM 40 SO BO VEH AND SML ROCK SLIDE / NEAR TC W/PATROL VEH // REQ CALTRANS [Shared]
1:04 PM 3 [17] 1039 BRUCE W/DOT WILL SEND PLOW OUT [Shared]
12:56 PM 2 [13] [Appended, 13:02:10] [4] 2FT BOULDER IN THE #1 LANE
12:54 PM 1 [1] 1125 NB LN , RP WAS ABLE TO GET AROUND ON SB SIDE

There is a big boulder in the road near the Deli. As those who live here know, this might just be the first of many. This is in the area burned in the Pfeiffer Fire in December. Fortunately we are not getting pounded like Marin – 6″ in 12 hours, and parts of Sonoma are approaching 12″ of rain. Still, be aware, pay attention, and SLOW DOWN!

1:04 PM 3 [17] 1039 BRUCE W/DOT WILL SEND PLOW OUT [Shared]
12:56 PM 2 [13] [Appended, 13:02:10] [4] 2FT BOULDER IN THE #1 LANE
12:54 PM 1 [1] 1125 NB LN , RP WAS ABLE TO GET AROUND ON SB SIDE

The Wonderful sound of wet!

11:45 am – 1.24″. 1/2 hour ago the maimum rain rate per hour was 1.5″. My cute weather station keep flashing back between that and “It’s raining cats ‘n dogs.” A computer with a sense of humor!

10:00 am – .70″ YAY! Wow, the AT&T Pro Am at Pebble Beach suspended play and brought in the players due to the weather!

I woke at 4:00 am to .08″ of rain, and now, at 7:30 am it is up to .28″. Even the dogs didn’t want to stay out very long, and one refused to go out at all! Let us hope this continues, although NOAA is expecting the rain to taper off by noon or earlier. As all us Californians know, any little bit is greatly applauded.

Storms

20140205-220408.jpg

At 9:30 this evening there were reports of rain in Santa Cruz, and accidents at the Summit of 17. If true, it is arriving early, but a very welcome guest that we’d like to stick around!

BSK, checking in

Super Bowl Sunday, around noon, my systems went wacky. They are still not up to normal … even for up here in the wilderness, so I am writing from Cambria. While I have and had 4-5 bars, everything was connected, up and “running” – the phone didn’t ring, and people who tried to call were directed straight to voicemail, which then did not show up for 18 hours. I couldn’t get email, twitter, FB, OR TV. Wonderfully isolated from the world with my critters, a fire, and a book.

I have had a fire going constantly since Sunday morning – or was it Saturday? Time has not mattered. It stood still for me. I stayed warm and comfortable. This morning, heavy frost covered everything, causing the dogs to slip and slide as they escaped thru the front door. I had to go out in it to keep an eye on my blind dog as his now-absent scents could not guide him, but I stoked up the fire when we came back inside.

The photo below was taken Monday morning when SOME the clouds cleared for a few moments. Yes, snow at the higher elevations although I heard from a north-facing neighbor at 3000′ that they had snow. Not me.

20140204-141912.jpg

If I don’t post tomorrow, know I am preparing for the next rounds of showers (varying reports on those) and keeping warm, puzzled by my systems.

Rain Reports on Super Bowl Sunday

10:15 am – snow being reported by a neighbor on the other side of the ridge north of me. WOW! None here, but up to .25″ of glorious wet stuff!

8:15 am – it started here! Real, honest-to-goodness rain! Couldn’t be happier!

At 8:00 am, rain is being reported from Elkhorn Slough to Ventana. None here yet, but it is dark, damp, and stormy. Now, if it was just night we would have a literary clique. All 5 dogs went outside at 7 am, but now, they are happy to be inside. Have only 33 degrees with wind chill factored in. This am’s weather report from NOAA says we could get up to 5″ of snow in the higher elevations of the Santa Lucia Mountains. I am not expected to experience any. Also, thunderstorms are very possible this afternoon. Could be a very fun day!

OES DROUGHT INFO

I, bigsurkate, decided to edit out the entire article from the CA OES … it is too depressing, and just bring you the links so that those of you who want to track this 500 year drought can do so. I was going to forgo a garden this year, but I am thinking that the availability of produce may be curtailed, and the prices astronomical, so I might want and need to plant a garden. I want to make an accurate spring 24-hour delivery determination, first.

Snow Surveyors Find Sparse Snowpack, Drought Retains Grip on California
by Brad Alexander on January 30, 2014

If I was an alarmist, or a Prepper, this last sentence of this report would be cause for concern “… In May 2013, Governor Brown issued an Executive Order to direct state water officials to expedite the review and processing of voluntary transfers of water and water rights.”

Electronic snowpack readings are available on the Internet at:

http://cdec.water.ca.gov/snow/current/snow/index.html

Reservoir conditions are found here:

http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cgi-progs/reservoirs/RES

For a broader snapshot of current and historical weather conditions, see DWR’s “Water Conditions” and “Drought” pages: Water Conditions Page
http://www.water.ca.gov/waterconditions/

Drought Page

http://www.water.ca.gov/waterconditions/drought/

New Drought Category

A new drought category has been created. It is called, “exceptional drought.” It is the Category Five of droughts. The coastal portion of Big Sur is not yet in this category, but the mountain/eastern portions are. Including me. Coastal areas are in “extreme drought” or Category 4 conditions. As we all know, this is not good. It is even more surreal to write this as I watch the news of Atlanta recover from a little bit OS snow.

My rain gauge measured absolutely zilch today. I thought maybe when I moved it a few weeks ago I might not have gotten it straight, but considering that seems to be the consensus in other areas that showed some wetness, but no measurable rain, it probably is fine. I did get some dampness up here, but mostly under trees and on window screens. Certainly could not call it rain under anyone’s definition.

I am a native Californian. I have lived in this state all my life. I am going to be 65. I have never experienced anything like this. Extreme measures are in the works and necessary. Conserve, be aware, and educate those who aren’t.

Speaking of freezing temps

Okay, I think I’m finished complaining about the cold.

This article by BBC News (which I often prefer to our own):

“The coldest place on Earth has been measured by satellite to be a bitter minus 93.2 Celsius (-135.8F). As one might expect, it is in the heart of Antarctica, and was recorded on 10 August, 2010.

The previous record low of minus 89.2C was also measured in Antarctica. This occurred at the Russian Vostok base on 21 July, 1983.

‘These very low temperatures are hard to imagine, I know,” said Ted Scambos from the US National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colorado. ‘The way I like to put it is that it’s almost as cold below freezing as boiling water is above freezing. The new low is a good 50 degrees colder than temperatures in Alaska or Siberia, and about 30 degrees colder than the summit of Greenland.
‘It makes the cold snap being experienced in some places in North America right now seem very tame by comparison,” he told BBC News.”