Blogs
Outdoor San Diego
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Thunderstorms, Shore Birds, Jasmine, and the Milky Way
By Jerry Schad - August 19, 2008, 7:18 p.m.
Thunderstorms have visited the Imperial Valley and parts of eastern San Diego County over the past several weeks. The seasonal arrival of moisture from the east and south, more or less typical for late summer, contributes to the greening of certain kinds of vegetation. On the desert floor, for example, ...
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Warm Weather, Ocean Temps, Brilliant Venus, and a Full Moon
By Jerry Schad - August 13, 2008, 1:58 p.m.
San Diego's warmest weather, on average, should occur in August through early September, according to statistics compiled from several decades of measurements taken near the San Diego International Airport. In an average year, coastal residents enjoy an average daily temperature of 70°, which compares favorably (depending on your viewpoint) with ...
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Thunderheads, Sandpipers, Naked-Eye Planets, and the Perseid Meteor Shower
By Jerry Schad - August 6, 2008, 12:33 p.m.
Towering thunderheads have been seen hovering over the wall of mountains east of San Diego in recent weeks. Afternoon rainshowers have already dampened Palomar, Cuyamaca and Mount Laguna on several occasions, with more of the same expected at times during the next two or three weeks. Usually this kind of ...
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Low Tides, Grunion, Crescent Moon, Dawn Sky
By Jerry Schad - July 30, 2008, 2:00 p.m.
A series of extreme low tides in late July/early August can be enjoyed by true "morning people" only! Check out the local tidepool life without hordes of other people around. Thursday, July 31 features a minus 1.5-foot tide at 3:26 a.m. On Friday, August 1 there's a minus 1.4-foot tide ...
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Birdwatchers, Jupiter, Fleas, and the Delta Aquarid Meteor Shower
By Jerry Schad - July 22, 2008, 12:24 p.m.
Birdwatchers need not despair now that the winter migrants are gone. Plenty of shore birds can be found on summer evenings in the natural coastal wetland areas of San Diego County. From south to north the publicly accessible coastal wetlands include the Tijuana River Estuary, south San Diego Bay (just ...
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AKA Hay Moon, Wort Moon, Moon of Blood, Fallow Moon, and Thunder Moon
By Jerry Schad - July 16, 2008, 11:49 a.m.
Cumulonimbus clouds, or thunderheads, are most likely to form over San Diego County's deserts and mountains during the latter part of the summer season, beginning about late July. The clouds appear by midafternoon —- often the result of moist, tropical air entering the county from the south or southeast. If ...
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Native Lilies and Cicadas in the Driest Month
By Jerry Schad - July 8, 2008, 8:51 a.m.
July is San Diego's driest month, according to precipitation data compiled since the year 1850. Only four hundredths of an inch of rain falls on average this month, compared to almost two inches in January -- the wettest month. July also marks the beginning of a new rainfall year, as ...
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A Crescent Moon and Jupiter Watch Over Grunion Runs
By Jerry Schad - July 3, 2008, 8:38 a.m.
The heat of summer will most likely reach its feverish peak in inland San Diego County during the month of July. (Coastal San Diego is different: since its weather is greatly affected by the slowly warming mass of ocean water adjacent to it, coastal temperatures usually peak in August or ...
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Latest Sunset of the Year
By Jerry Schad - June 25, 2008, 11:40 a.m.
Early July's extreme low tides are for early risers only! Check out the local tidepool life without hordes of other people around. Wednesday, July 2 features a minus 1.7-foot tide at 3:39 a.m. Thursday, July 3 brings a minus 1.8-foot tide at 4:24 a.m. Wake up extra-early on the July ...
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Cobbled Shorelines Welcome Summer Solstice
By Jerry Schad - June 18, 2008, 12:06 p.m.
Cobbled shorelines are greeting some beachgoers early this summer season, as in past years. North County beaches tend to suffer most, as the natural sand replenishment in the area is disrupted by dams blocking the flow of sediment down the larger streams and rivers. Some sand scooped up from dredging ...
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Earliest Sunrise of the Year
By Jerry Schad - June 10, 2008, 5:51 p.m.
June gloom, the cool and intermittently overcast conditions likely to dominate the beach and coastal areas through the remainder of this month, mocks the already sizzling temperatures inland. If it weren't for the ocean's enormous resistance to changes in temperature, the hottest weather along the coast would occur soon after ...
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Ocean Temps to Desert Annuals
By Jerry Schad - June 4, 2008, 12:04 a.m.
Ocean water temperatures are rising into the mid- or high-60s this month, perhaps to reach the low 70s in July or August. The usual early-summer cool weather along San Diego's coastline, disappointing to many tourists, is mostly caused by the sluggish warming of the ocean water. The payoff will come ...
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Wildflowers, Oleander, Wild Roses, Agaves
By Jerry Schad - May 27, 2008, 5:28 p.m.
Spring wildflowers may have largely dried up in most areas of San Diego County, but in the cooler coastal enclaves such as Cabrillo National Monument and Torrey Pines State Reserve, several kinds remain. Look for paintbrush, purple nightshade, coreopsis, sea fig, popcorn flower, and red monkey flower, among others. Oleander ...
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June Gloom to Mule Deer
By Jerry Schad - May 20, 2008, 8:30 a.m.
"June gloom," the generally dreary, overcast, late spring weather along San Diego's coastline, has already begun and could intensify next month. Occasionally, the low clouds will linger for several days. This is usually triggered by a "Catalina eddy," in which moist marine air drawn inland from the area around Santa ...
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Full Moon Over Wild Hyacinths and Buckwheat
By Jerry Schad - May 15, 2008, 10:51 a.m.
Wild hyacinths and mariposa lilies have popped out on hillsides within the burn area of last October's Witch Creek Fire. Both flowers arise from underground bulbs, considered delicacies by the California Indians. Burned areas around Lake Hodges and Lake Poway are still exhibiting these wildflower species, along with a number ...