Weather Watch, 5/27/10

1:00 pm – This report from a friend in town: “It’s absolutely pouring rain here in Carmel at the moment.” And here, I can look out and see the storm approaching. *sigh* My friend said it rained for a solid 2 and 1/2 hours, some of that heavily

And here is the latest NexRad:

I woke to glorious, wonderful, welcome sunshine this morning, but NOAA is predicting this may end by this afternoon. The early morning discussion has this to say:

“AS OF 2:45 AM PDT THURSDAY…IT IS A MILD EARLY MORNING ACROSS THE DISTRICT AS CLOUDS INCREASE AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING SYSTEM…WITH TEMPERATURES MOSTLY IN THE 50S STILL. THE UPPER LEVEL LOW IS CURRENTLY OFF THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA COAST AND IT IS PROGGED TO EDGE OVER THE COAST BY THIS AFTERNOON. RAIN FROM THIS SYSTEM IS FORECAST TO SPREAD FROM NORTH TO SOUTH THIS MORNING AND THROUGH THE DAY WITH 0.25-0.50 INCH POSSIBLE FROM THE SF PENINSULA NORTHWARD WITH HIGHER AMOUNTS IN THE HILLS. A QUARTER OF AN INCH OR LESS IS EXPECTED ELSEWHERE ACROSS THE CWA WITH SIGNIFICANTLY LESS FOR THE INLAND VALLEYS AND AREAS SOUTH OF MONTEREY.”
*I’m* “south of Monterey.” Maybe the rain will miss me this afternoon!

Big Sur River

I took a drive through the state park the other day …

and ambled along the river.

I was amazed at how clear the water was!

And the redwood forest lining her shores …

majestic, is one word to describe the lofty redwood.

Sculpted by Mother Nature

And I ended the day at “the Dog,” looking at one of Cheryl’s many contributions.

Weather Watch 5/26/10

Today is expected to be mostly dry, but tomorrow, more rain predicted.

From NOAA discussion: “THURSDAY WILL BE A SHOWERY DAY AS THE UPPER LOW MOVES OVER THE DISTRICT. WITH H5 TEMPS AS LOW AS -26C IT WILL BE UNSTABLE. …IT LOOKS LIKE THE GREATEST INSTABILITY WILL BE TO THE NORTH AND EAST OF THE DISTRICT SUCH AS LAKE COUNTY AND THE CENTRAL VALLEY.THEREFORE…HAVE DECIDED AGAINST ADDING THUNDER TO THE FORECAST. HOWEVER…IT WOULD NOT BE A SHOCK IF THERE IS A CLAP OF THUNDER OR SMALL HAIL ON THURSDAY.”

Weather Watch, 5/25/10

As of 6:00 pm, the drizzle that started at 1:30 pm, and was continuous, managed to accumulate 1/4 inch of rain in my gauge.

Per NOAA discussion:

“…UNSETTLED WEATHER CONTINUES WITH COOL AND WET CONDITIONS THROUGH THURSDAY…FRIDAY STARTS A DRYING TREND WITH A WARM-UP MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND…

.DISCUSSION…AS OF 8:40 AM PDT TUESDAY…THE WEATHER STORY FOR TODAY WILL BE DEVELOPING RAIN OVER MUCH OF THE CWA. LIGHT SHOWERS CONTINUE TO FILL IN OVER THE NORTH BAY. EXPECT LIGHT PRECIP TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS OVER THE N BAY AND GRADUALLY MOVE SOUTH OVER SF BAY. MORE AMPLE MOISTURE IS WAITING IN THE WINGS AS NOTED BY THE PRECIPITABLE WATER LEVELS OF OVER 1 INCH OFF THE COAST. A COLD FRONT OFF THE CA COAST…AS SEEN ON THE IR SATELLITE WILL MOVE TO THE COAST THIS AFTERNOON.

STEADIER RAINFALL WILL DIMINISH LATE THIS EVENING AS THE FRONT PUSHES THROUGH. ONLY SCATTERED SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED BEHIND THE FRONT TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY.

NEXT UP WILL BE THE UPPER LOW CURRENTLY SPINNING ITS WHEELS OFF THE BC COAST AND ITS IMPACT ON THE CWA. THE INITIAL 12Z MODELS CONTINUE TO BRING THE UPPER LOW DOWN THE COAST AND INTO CA ON THURSDAY. CURRENT FORECAST LOOKS GOOD WITH LIKELY SHOWERS THURSDAY WITH CLEARING ON FRIDAY.”

The Coast …

… or how to fill a memory card from just one location. I could have stayed and photographed from here, on this day, all day.

#1

#2

#3

#4

And last one. (I took dozens, whittled it down to 8, then had battery issues, so got it down to 5.)
#5

Okay, now the fun part. Vote for your favorite. If you feel like it, tell me why it is your favorite in the comments below. If not, then your vote is completely anonymous, even to me!

Wildflowers & Weather

I don’t know about where you are, but it has been mighty cold up here all day. Have been inside, running the heater to stay warm. BUT my internet seems to be cooperating at the moment, so will upload a few of the photos I took on Wednesday of the incredible wildflower displays.

Poppies on a Hill

Douglas Irish

Douglas Iris, close-up

Calochortus albus - Fairy Lanterns

Sticky Monkey Flower

Nettle, perhaps?

Western Columbine

I also have photographs of owl’s clover, lupine, vetch, indian paintbrush, and others. It is hard to keep up with all the wildflowers in bloom right now!

Whale Rally

Don’t forget the Whale Rally, this Sunday the 23rd at 10 am at the Monterey Bay Park, near the kayaks and volleyball courts.

Simultaneous rallies are being held statewide on various beaches, so check the Western Alliance for Nature link for a location near you and for additional information.

I have had a devil of a time with my internet the last few days, despite all indications that it is working properly, and thus the dearth of posts recently. I hope to upload some more Big Sur wildflower photos tomorrow, but that will depend on the internet goddess.

May 19, 2010

No news for today. I’ll be out and about the Big Sur environs with my camera and meeting with friends . Looks to be a gorgeous day for it shaping up! Have a glorious one.

Oh, I have been meaning to mention the construction going on just north of Willow Creek. It is not showing up on any of the CT announcements, but it is significant, involving closing one lane, with alternate flagging. Wait times are not bad, however.

Pitkin’s Curve Project

Per Cal-Trans, “This area is part of an historically active landslide. Repairs were required in 1998 after the El Nino storms of that year. In February 2000, a more massive slipout below the road resulted in complete closure of the roadway. Due to the magnitude of the slipout, previous strategies for reconstructing the roadway were no longer feasible. In order to found the road on a stable base, realignment into the hillside was required; the roadway remain closed for three months while the detour was constructed. This alignment continues in place as a temporary solution until feasibility of a long-term strategy is fully evaluated.”

Here are some Cal-Trans photos of the slip-out of 2000:

Feb. 2000 slip-out

Realignment

New Road Surface


Aerial of Slide

Artist Rendering of Project

This shows the artists rendering of the eventual bridge over Pitkin’s Curve and the Rock Shed at Rain Rocks. Quite a project, but one those of us on the South Coast are glad to finally see, despite the interim inconvenience.

Here is the link to the flyer Cal-Trans put out four years ago about the project: Pitkin’s Curve/Rain Rocks flyer

All Cal-Trans photos used with permission provided by Steve Price! Thanks, Steve!!

Don’t forget to check out the May 2010 photos of the project here. You will see the construction of the 50 ft x 50 ft anchor for the south side of the bridge.

Storm Watch, 5/17/10

9:30 am – the rain did start before I could get this post up on the internet, which has been acting up, lately. NOAA forecasters were spot on with this one. They predicted the rain would start between 9 and 10 am.

And this interesting comment about up-coming weather from NOAA:

“ECMWF SHOWS A 548 DM LOW AT 500 MB OVER SF BAY LATE SATURDAY ALONG WITH 700 MB TEMPS AS COOL AS -10C. IF THIS VERIFIES… SNOW LEVELS WOULD DROP TO UNDER 4000 FEET GOING INTO THE LAST FULL WEEK OF MAY.”

I’ve had snow as late as the middle of May, which is why I hold off planting tomatoes until then, but the last week? Never. Of course, I am below 4000 ft. and this is still a ways out, but will be interesting to watch.

9 am – The rain hasn’t really started here, but – Here it comes: