From NOAA this afternoon:

“AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA
200 PM PDT WED SEP 17 2014

.SYNOPSIS…AN UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM WILL BEGIN TO IMPACT THE REGION TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT RESULTING IN AN INCREASED CHANCE FOR RAIN SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS. TEMPERATURES WILL ALSO COOL TO BELOW SEASONAL AVERAGES THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE WORKWEEK. DRY CONDITIONS RETURN AND TEMPERATURES REBOUND FOR THE UPCOMING WEEKEND AS A RESULT OF BUILDING HIGH PRESSURE.

.DISCUSSION…AS OF 01:58 PM PDT WEDNESDAY…GENERALLY CLEAR SKIES
PREVAIL ACROSS THE REGION THIS AFTERNOON WITH THE LEADING EDGE OF THE MID/UPPER LEVEL TROUGH MOVING INTO NORTHERN CALIFORNIA.

OVERNIGHT…THE MID/UPPER LEVEL JET AND ASSOCIATED LOW WILL MOVE INLAND AND SHIFT SOUTHEASTWARD SLIGHTLY. THIS WILL ALLOW FOR PRECIPITATION TO SPREAD DOWN INTO THE SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS AND
OVER COASTAL LOCATIONS OF MONTEREY COUNTY. RAINFALL AMOUNTS WILL BE GREATEST ACROSS THE WEST FACING COASTAL HILLS/MOUNTAINS WHERE ISOLATED LOCATIONS COULD PICK A FEW TENTHS OF AN INCH. MEANWHILE…INLAND VALLEY LOCATIONS MAY RECEIVE ONLY TRACE AMOUNTS OR NO PRECIPITATION AT ALL OVERNIGHT. CHANCES FOR SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH EARLY TOMORROW AFTERNOON ACROSS THE NORTH BAY AS A RESULT OF INCREASED MOISTURE AND THE UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM MOVING ACROSS. WILL ALSO CARRY A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE NORTH BAY AND EAST BAY HILLS/MOUNTAINS AGAIN TOMORROW AFTERNOON. COOLER TEMPERATURES ALOFT WILL ALSO RESULT IN A COOLING TREND THROUGH LATE WEEK.”

“The Sky was as clear as a window one morning. It was so the next morning, and the next, and on every morning that followed until it was hard to remember how rain felt, or how a field looked, green, and moist with life so that a naked foot sank into it. All the things that grew paused in their growing, leaves curled, and each creature turned his back on the sun.” (Beryl Markham, West with the Night.)

NOAA is now predicting 07/100ths of an inch of rain all the way down to Big Sur Wednesday night into Thursday. I covered my cement, just in case. It won’t ease our drought, but at least we might remember how rain felt.

(Barbara, I really will get this lovely book back to you soon.)