Our nearest creek is holding, but on flood watch until Wednesday evening. Many areas around Northern California are underwater. I have never seen it rain so hard as it did last night. We are forecast for a break in the weather Thursday and Friday and then rain again next week. Well the drought is over so that should help with summer fires, we can only hope.
Well the drought is over so that should help with summer fires, we can only hope.
Here in the southwest desert (Arizona), where we've also had unusually high amounts of rain and snow the past couple of weeks, we worry more about summer fires. Because of all the rain, everything will start growing like crazy -- weeds, underbrush, etc. Then the hot dry summer comes, and all of that stuff dies and dries up -- making perfect kindling for wild fires.
I'll bet the CDC will have their eyes peeled for hanta virus in the California and Southwest deserts this spring. When the food supply goes up, the rodents that carry the virus multiply and danger lurks in their droppings.
Heavy snow last night meant My Employers declared today a delayed opening day. Didn't have to be in til 12 by which time everything was pretty clear. Yay!
I want to move to Camelot where it only rains after sunset. It is not so much the rain each day as the flooding all around. I think cabin fever is setting in.
When I drove from SoCal to Santa Barbara to see my mom this past weekend, the hills were so green I almost cried. Everything you can see from the freeway that's been burned in the last few years is now covered with the greenest of newly grown grass. I'm sick of the rain and tired of being cold, but oh! The green grass! Where it was all just scorched earth before.
And as jj wrote, sounds beautiful indeed, Ruth. Something magical on seeing green after prolonged periods of drought or fire destruction. When visiting my parents a bit north of Sydney at Christmas and driving through some burnt bush, I pulled the car over to look at the green undergrowth coming through. Stunning.
This is getting ridiculous! Arizona is supposed to be desert land. We have been having -- for several weeks now -- more rain that I have ever seen, not only in the number of rainy days but in the torrential downpours and flooded roads. I know we need it, but enough is enough! And while the rain will help with water levels, if it ever stops pouring it will also lead to lots of blooming things with high pollen counts, followed by all the massive weeds and underbrush eventually dying and fueling wildfires this summer.
Lovely weather lately here in the Phoenix area. Nice warm days, nights not too chilly. Blanket has come off the bed. Short-sleeve shirts have come out of the closet.
Still raining and local flooding of roads and such in Northern California. Sitting inside by the fire wrapped up in a sweater. The weather man says we will have two days of clearing for the week-end. Fingers Crossed.
The mockingbirds are insane! The ones who aren't are singing their little hearts out! The ones that are fighting (I assume for dominance and to win the heart of the fair maiden) are so busy dive bombing each other that they don't seem to care where they land, on cars, mailboxes, right in front of a human's feet.
Thank goodness the mockingbird that adopted my yard as its home is singing and mimicking the other local birds continuously! Lovely!
We've had the first birds beginning to come back to the garden after the winter: we saw a few mourning doves the other day, and we've also got a red squirrel, who is just so cute.
Now I've had cardinal noises! Not really singing, but certainly calling. Weet!! Weet!! It calls louder than the other birds near here. I think it was in my back yard oak tree. Wasn't able to go out and check.
Oh, how I miss Mr. Softee! Dairy Queen is a distant second.
A certain sign of spring in Phoenix are the obnoxious mating and territorial calls of the equally obnoxious white wing doves. I heard one a few days ago. I'll have to get my stuffed cat out of storage and put it out on the porch to keep the birds from using it as their toilet.
The sign of spring around here is the blooming cherry trees on both sides of Main Street. Our small town, population 1,987 has a main business street six blocks long. Who ever came up with the idea of planting them gets my round of applause.
Move your cat every day or the birds realise it is not real.
Yes, I know, and I do. Last year it took them almost to the end of the season to realize it was a fake -- and when they did, they enjoyed playing with it -- perching on its head or between its paws, pecking at its whiskers, etc.
I should also have mentioned that a sure sign of spring in Phoenix is citrus blossoms. Orange, grapefruit, and lemon trees come into bloom and give off a wonderfully sweet perfume.
Today a friend came by for lunch, and insisted on helping me outside to see that my bulbs are pushing through, with a few lovely purple blossoms already. The sun felt good, too!
I should also have mentioned that a sure sign of spring in Phoenix is citrus blossoms. Orange, grapefruit, and lemon trees come into bloom and give off a wonderfully sweet perfume.
Yes -- I love it. Unfortunately olives an other pollen-y trees are also blooming. People smell the citrus blossoms, so when they start sniffing and sneezing they blame the citrus trees. But citrus pollen is heavy and sticky and is spread by the birds and bees. Olive pollen (and mulberry, I believe) is light and dry and spread by the wind (unless it gets inhaled by some poor, unsuspecting human who's allergic to it). With all the rain we've had this year everything is growing and blooming like crazy.
All the best for those annoyed by pollen... But beautiful reading about how spring heralds its arrival for you all.
We are having cooler nights and darker mornings here...we don't get the extreme cold some of you get, but I love the shift toward winter...the coolness, the darkness. But may be odd. I'm looking forward to my first winter in a new city and what it brings.
I too am enjoying the approach of autumn. I was all over summer. Days are mostly pleasant and nights are much cooler. Down to 9° C and cool again at weekend after forecast snow on Alps.
I think it's summer time here. After February's summer heat and humidity, I was hoping we had earned a bit of Spring. Ha and double Ha. I think we had maybe four days of sweet weather.
The wild weather system that has been going through the country will give us a squall line this afternoon. We shouldn't have to worry about hail, certainly not the tennis ball sized monsters others of you may have had. The oak and elm tree have been doing the Dance of the Coming Storm this morning! The oak especially reminds me of a green ball gown swishing and bouncing in a particularly vigorous dance!
We're bracing for a weekend of potential flood-making rain, and hoping that the combination of melting snow and heavy rain won't do the damage it did to riverside and lakeside houses last year.
Thanks, Piglet! I was supposed to go to my BFF's for a late lunch today, but we both decided it would not be prudent to drive in the downpours and gales we've already had.
First smaller squall has passed. The breeze is picking up again and the next storm should be here within the hour!
Even in the wonderful post-brexit world, I don't imagine we'll be able to made deals to trade our weather. We could do with any spare drops of rain, and would be happy to trade the endless light-flooding to which we are currently subject.
We have had some very heavy rain showers this afternoon. I don't know whether any more are coming. I decided to skip this evening's Good Friday service; I was there yesterday for Maundy Thursday
Today is gorgeous after the stormy, migraine inducing day yesterday. (We ended up with 1.6 inches of glorious wet water from the sky!) It's a nice cool 70 degrees with partly cloudy skies and slightly breezy. These are the kinds of days we live for down here!
My Granddaughter and Daughter-in-Law are coming down today to stay for Easter! I'm so excited!!! We will color eggs after supper...if that's not too uncool for a 13 year old!
Made a fresh coconut cake for Easter because my mother always made one and put jelly beans on the top. Interesting how certain foods get to be a traditional part of the holiday. We are having our Buddhist neighbors over for Easter dinner, this is the third year that they have joined us. They always bring a delightful baked dish made with eggs, potatoes and spices. Now it would not seem like Easter dinner without it.
I read this and thought of you SoCal residents: Every three minutes, an earthquake strikes in California... Being in NZ for almost 5 months I've only experienced [I think] a small shake...they seem to happen around ~4am when I'm asleep. Colleagues continually come to work and ask me, "Did you feel it?" "No", I sadly reply.
I shouldn't be too sad about it, Climacus - I'm quite content not to feel any earthquakes. When I worked in Newfoundland, my office was on the fifth floor, and I recall feeling a decided shudder one day; whether it was actual seismic activity I've no idea (and AFAIK there was no damage), but it was certainly perceptible.
It's not an experience I'm in any hurry to repeat.
Good point. I definitely was thinking of a minor shake...but you don't get to choose. My colleagues seem disappointed each time I report not being awake for it. I do not want to experience a large one.
I was in a room with many plate glass windows when we had a thankfully rare 7.0 earthquake in Northern California. I was with a women who just that week had arrived from Georgia. As we watched parked cars bouncing out the windows she said,"Oh I did not know earth quakes lasted so long. " I just replied," get under the table. "
Comments
You mean they're not Obama's fault? Or Hillary's?
Is summer starting early here? Or are we already in the middle of it? I dread thinking that summer will last all year here eventually.
I know. Wouldn't work. But it's nice to think it would!
It's cool today! Yay! It just turned 54 degrees, but was 47 when I woke this morning! We'll be in the mid 80s by the weekend, though. *sigh*
And as jj wrote, sounds beautiful indeed, Ruth. Something magical on seeing green after prolonged periods of drought or fire destruction. When visiting my parents a bit north of Sydney at Christmas and driving through some burnt bush, I pulled the car over to look at the green undergrowth coming through. Stunning.
I blame Trump!
I hope you get a dry spell soon.
Thank goodness the mockingbird that adopted my yard as its home is singing and mimicking the other local birds continuously! Lovely!
A certain sign of spring in Phoenix are the obnoxious mating and territorial calls of the equally obnoxious white wing doves. I heard one a few days ago. I'll have to get my stuffed cat out of storage and put it out on the porch to keep the birds from using it as their toilet.
Yes, I know, and I do. Last year it took them almost to the end of the season to realize it was a fake -- and when they did, they enjoyed playing with it -- perching on its head or between its paws, pecking at its whiskers, etc.
I should also have mentioned that a sure sign of spring in Phoenix is citrus blossoms. Orange, grapefruit, and lemon trees come into bloom and give off a wonderfully sweet perfume.
We are having cooler nights and darker mornings here...we don't get the extreme cold some of you get, but I love the shift toward winter...the coolness, the darkness. But may be odd. I'm looking forward to my first winter in a new city and what it brings.
I may be exaggerating just a bit.
We're bracing for a weekend of potential flood-making rain, and hoping that the combination of melting snow and heavy rain won't do the damage it did to riverside and lakeside houses last year.
First smaller squall has passed. The breeze is picking up again and the next storm should be here within the hour!
My Granddaughter and Daughter-in-Law are coming down today to stay for Easter! I'm so excited!!! We will color eggs after supper...if that's not too uncool for a 13 year old!
Not sure about "cool 70°" though - in my book, 70° is jolly warm ...
We are very grateful for any cool weather after the blistering 'Winter' we just had. Especially February when we broke many heat records. Yuck!!
I read this and thought of you SoCal residents: Every three minutes, an earthquake strikes in California... Being in NZ for almost 5 months I've only experienced [I think] a small shake...they seem to happen around ~4am when I'm asleep. Colleagues continually come to work and ask me, "Did you feel it?" "No", I sadly reply.
It's not an experience I'm in any hurry to repeat.