I know many of you would envy me... but still I am uneasy

[senseandsensibility]

It is seventy two degrees right now in the SF Bay Area where I live. I went out to lunch and shopping in short sleeves and no jacket and many I saw were wearing shorts. It's beautiful, but dry as a bone. The hills are as brown as they are in August. I know this is California, but we usually get some rain this time of year, and the hills are usually green by now.

Even the waitress at lunch said the weather was kind of "creepy", and I knew what she meant.

Yes, many of you who are freezing will feel little sympathy, but droughts are nothing to sneeze at either.

Anyway, stay warm, but send positive thoughts our way for a little rain.

[arcane1]

1. It's sunny and 65 here in San Francisco. "Creepy" is the right word for it.

We're going to be envying the east coast and their snow once summer comes, and our dessicated state is bursting into flames

[displacedtexan]

9. I'm in Inner Richmond, and I need to water my garden plants 2 or 3 times a week.

Last year, there was enough fog and drizzle to keep watering to a minimum. My neighbor says we'll run out of water in March if this weather pattern keeps up. I haven't heard that on the local news, though. Have you?

[arcane1]

15. I haven't heard that specific timeline, but it's definitely a grim situation

Lots of grimness in this article:
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304244904579278321514522650

[riversedge]

37. Grim indeed.

[notadmblnd]

29. Yeah, but you don't have mosquitoes

Come spring we'll have a record crop. That's what I liked about SF when I was there years ago. No bugs.

[Uncle Joe]

2. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, senseandsensibility.

[senseandsensibility]

10. You're welcome.

[mike_c]

3. some folks in Arcata have taken to standing out in the town plaza under umbrellas....

It's a North Coast rain dance.

[HockeyMom]

4. I live in Florida and do ENVY you

You don't have 85 degrees at Christmas, and you have a nice PROGRESSIVE political place to live in.

[Xipe Totec]

5. Heading into the maw of the beast on Tuesday

From the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas, to Boston.

Oh, well, it was fun while it lasted.

[Siwsan]

6. Droughts are awful, that's for sure

Given our snowfall, right now, I think that's one of the few weather related problems we won't face, this year.

It's been a long time since I lived in California, but isn't there something called "earthquake weather"? Not that I want to jinx - I have a very dear friend who lives in San Francisco.

[PasadenaTrudy]

14. That's a myth...n/t

[Siwsan]

17. Glad to hear that

I went through a few big rumbles, during my California time. I remember people commenting on quake weather conditions, but I never quite understood what the meant.

[Bette Noir]

35. "Earthquake weather" is hot and still.

It doesn't cause earthquakes, but it makes people nervous. People fight.

More common "fire weather" is hot and windy.

[petronius]

7. Yup - definitely creepy, unsettling, worry-inducing weather

Felt like summer well into December, and the snowpack looks terrible so far. Really hope things change... *


* Not sure if that smiley is a statement of our current condition, or a taunting dare to the weather deities.

[mike_c]

8. update on the North Coast....

This photo was taken this morning near my house in Blue Lake. I didn't take it-- a friend posted it on FB this morning.



Wild fire in January. Cal Fire is water bombing this one, or at least that's what I hear. It's is still small, about 250 acres, but it's only 10% contained and it's DRY in the woods.

[senseandsensibility]

12. That's really frightening.

Stay safe.

[mike_c]

16. not much wind today, thankfully....

Fingers crossed.

[Mr.Bill]

20. Is that Blue Lake in Lake County?

I live in Lake County.

[mike_c]

21. no-- Humboldt County....

On the 299 just east of the coast.

[niyad]

31. would happily share what moisture we just had, but we need it as much as you. can see why

people are worried about that blaze. thinking very wet thoughts for all in drought.

[Sancho]

11. I went sailing in Tampa Bay yesterday....wearing shorts today.

It will get "cool" here, but only for a day or two and then it will warm up again. It's never been to freezing at my house in the 20 years I've been here. They are predicting a low in the 40's one day this week, but most of these cold waves stall before they get this far south.

Honestly, I've lived in a bunch of places (including Alaska), and I love the Florida weather except for the hurricanes.

[shanti]

40. my cousin

just recently moved from washington state to north coastal florida. talk about change...he LOVES it. i'm in nor cal, and you couldn't pay me to live in florida, what with the hurricanes, poisonous snakes, bugs, gators, and regressive politricks, nope.

[PasadenaTrudy]

13. Near 80 in L.A. today

and only 15% humidity. This is not good and it's weird.

[magical thyme]

18. I don't envy you...

if everything I understand about climate change and CA water is more or less correct, SoCal is going to be turning back into a desert. I read a few years back that CA would be running out of water by the end of this decade.

When I was trying to decide where to move to 10 years ago, I meditated on where to go. The message I got was that there would be water in Maine. I knew very little about Maine when I moved here, but one thing I learned is we're sitting on top of a major aquifer. And our dry years are probably wetter than your wet ones.

I'll take a few months of cold and water over desert any day of the week. I like visiting the desert but fear living in one...

Good luck to you all in the southwest. Hopefully some rains will come sooner rather than later.

[Cha]

19. Good Vibrations for

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{RAIN}}}}}}}}}}}}}}} in California, sas!

Hoping for Plenty RAinbows!

[Richard D]

22. I'm a little bit south . .

In the Santa Monica mountains. Dryer than a bone here. Nature is really suffering. Hills should be green now with plenty of food for the critters. There's none. Normally this time the frogs are quite loud. Now, no frogs. The Sierras should have half their seasonal snow pack by now. There's none. All the California reservoirs are rapidly drying out. Pretty friggin serious.

[Shrike47]

23. Willamette Valley in Oregon set a record for lack of rainfall this year.

It's scary.

[passiveporcupine]

30. I'm in Hood River Oregon, and we may also be setting records

I have never seen it this dry. December is supposed to be our wettest month and we got two days of moderate rain. November was way below normal temps (it dropped to below zero, which I'd never seen here in my 17 years) and no precipitation. Now in January, we've gotten one day of rain so far.

I have spring water (no well, or city water out here) and because of the unusual deep freeze in November, my water was frozen for four weeks. Now it's warmer, but my spring is dried up completely, or my lines have been impaired. I cannot climb the hill to check it out. I've now been without water for over six weeks and I'm disabled, so this is not easy for me. If we had rain, I would be OK, but no rain or snow. I'm getting scared and seriously depressed. The longest I usually go without water in winter is two weeks, and that is difficult. I can't do laundry, or keep my house clean, and that is really hard...I feel like a homeless person with a roof over my head.

[PumpkinAle]

24. N. NV

is also suffering from lack of moisture.

I was trying to do my rain dance, but my neighbors keep complaining

[Texasgal]

25. I understand

we've been in an extreme drought for years now. Our highland lakes have dried up. We have been on extreme water rationing for years!

I hope you get some much needed moisture! I love San Fransisco! One of my favorite places on the planet!

[tclambert]

26. Ten inches of snow here in Michigan. Want me to mail you some?

[arcane1]

34. I would LOVE to load a bunch of trains with east coast snow and ship it here.

It would be melted by the time it arrived, and we could take that water and pour it all over everything

[Cleita]

27. I agree. I live down the coast from you in San Luis Obispo county.

It really bothers me that I have to water everything at this time of year. I don't mind wearing shorts but I like my warm clothes too that are languishing in the closet.

[nadinbrzezinski]

28. Funny we had that same conversation in San Diego

something about this gives me the creeps.

Oh and you are not off. Check inciweb. There are a few active wild fires right now in Norcal.

[Warpy]

32. I usually see snow on the higher peaks this time of year

but what didn't melt has evaporated. We're dry, dry, dry.

We had a wet fall and that skyrocketed the rodent population. My traps are working overtime, rodents carry hantavirus around here.

[Jamaal510]

33. All of this sunny weather gets monotonous after a while.

It feels more like Spring than Winter here in Oakland and the rest of the Bay. I actually am hoping for some rain, too, just so it'll feel like "winter" again.

Even when I was up in Humboldt County for the past school semester, it didn't rain up there as often as it usually does (it was reportedly only 37% of average). It was cold there, but also dry most days. I moved there in August with the expectation to be drenched, but...nope.

[niyad]

36. I understand--although i envy the temp today (it was 60 here on friday, snowed all day yesterday.

and brrrrrrr today) we also are short on moisture. it is scary out here in the west,something the climate deniers fail to understand.

will be thinking good, wet thoughts for all of us.

[PeteSelman]

38. I'm a Viking, weather is meaningless to me.

I work in all kids of weather. I laugh at the sun and the cold and the rain and the wind.

Hope you get some rain.

[Skittles]

39. you want I should kick your warm, apprehensive ass, senseandsensibility?

LEMME AT YOU

[senseandsensibility]

41. Lol, now that's more like the kind of response I expected.

Would you call that an eastcoast attitude?

[Blue_In_AK]

42. We're flying down there Wednesday night for a few days.

Could you wait until a week from Wednesday or so for the rain?

Seriously, I understand what you're saying. I used to live down there, and I know it's usually wet this time of year.