Highlights of the Current Season - July 1, 2007 - June 30, 2008

          September came in, and it was almost like mother nature decided to go along with the calendar this year, as temperatures cooled and it really felt like summer was over. Some light rain (mist, really) fell during the week of the 19th, enough to dampen the porch, and cloudy conditions increased by late in the week, bringing a chance of rain to the mountains for the first time since the rare rain event back in July. And on the 22nd, the first signiicant rain of the season came up from the south and stayed for a night and a day, reducing the fire danger significantly.

          October began with a cool, cloudy 1st day, which gave way to sunny skies and warm daytime temperatures, and typical cool fall nights. The night of Oct. 9th brought the first winter storm to our mountain, with heavy rain and cold temperatures. The weather fronts continued through the week into the next, keeping things cool and wet. Indian summer arrived with a rush on October 23rd, with temperatures in the upper 80's. The first part of November brought more seasonal temperatures, and much needed rain on the 11th. But the rest of the month was mostly dry and pleasant. December came in with a little moisture and colder temperatures.And on the 7th, some much needed rain finally arrived. But even with the 2+ inches added in mid-December, it is still very dry. The end of December was quite cold and raw, with temperatures in the 30's and fairly damp.

January came in with a roar, bringing high winds and heavy rain, over 10 inches in three days. Power was knocked out, and many trees came down in the winds, which were in excess of 60 mph for at least 15 hours. Rain, along with lightning and thunder, continued through Sundy the 6th with very cool temperatures. Rainy and unsettled conditions lingered on after that. On the 21st, more moisture and light snow fell. And overnight on the 22nd, we had about 6 inches of snow on the ground, power outages, and trees down everywhere. More snow and cold rain fell on the 24th. The 25th brought a huge storm, not as cold, but very wet, and the biggest of the season (so far). Cool, wet and windy conditions continued into early February. A break in the winter weather rolled in around the 6th, and sunny skies with mild temperatures lingered until the 20th, when temps cooled off, and a little rain arrived on the 21st, with wet weather the norm for now. A dry spell was broken on March 15, with much cooler temperatures. It was dry until the 29th, when a brief but welcome shower passed by overnight. April was cool, and downright winter-like during the week of the 15th, with highs only in the mid-30's. Temperatures recovered and spring returned the next week. A brief shower passed by on the night of the 23rd.

Not another drop of rain since April, and Bonny Doon is dry, as is much of California. We hope for the best this year, as one fire anywhere here is too many.

The Rain Gauge

          I keep these unofficial readings as a personal interest. I have seen our reading exceed other gauges that are located at lower elevations nearby, so I figured this might be of interest to others. For rainfall amounts up to 5 inches, I use a retail rain gauge. When amounts overnight are higher than 5 inches, I use, as a backup, a simple vertical wall bucket capable of holding up to 14 inches. I have to use the bucket at least a few times every winter. In years past, I was distrustful about the unusually high rainfall readings, changing gauges and trying various methods and locations to improve accuracy. However, after much experimentation, and then checking with our neighbors, I think we are simply in a micro-climate with more rain than other places. This is the Santa Cruz Mountains, after all. As the Weather Service says, we are in an "Orographically Favored Location." I think that means we get soggy when others simply get wet.

          During the 2005-2006 season, I added an electronic gauge. It sits next to the "analog" gauge. So far, it tracks very close to the old fashioned method of walking out in the rain and checking throughout the day and night. The electronic gauge reads hundredths better than the old gauge, so it is useful for that at least. I use both of them at the moment, and will likely use them both for the foreseeable future. You never know when the batteries might fail, after all.

          There is one official California Department of Water Resources weather monitoring site located nearby, at a slightly higher elevation. They match my readings here at 2200' fairly well. You can compare for yourself, at Ben Lomond Mountain (2630', three miles up the road from here). Their measured rainfall tends to be slightly less, but the temperature tracks pretty close to our location.

          There are also a couple of other nearby, lower elevation locations where rainfall is measured. One long-time measurement created by Ted Cantrall is here, and another very informative site, run by the folks at Anometal.com can be found here.

          As with most places in this region, we are in a "micro-climate". Ours happens to be very wet during the rainy season, due to our location, elevation and southern exposure to incoming storms. During large storms, average winds of 40 to 60 mph are typical here. In December of 1995, we had winds approaching 100 mph, and during February, 1998, peak winds approached 85 mph. The season is officially measured from July 1 to June 30, although rain usually only falls between September and May, a typical "dry and wet" seasonal pattern. Snow does fall here, but it is usually not more than a few inches at a time. The temperature range is not too extreme, and only falls below 25 degrees a few weeks every winter. 1991 was the exception, with lows in the teens for over a week. The winters of 1973, 1975, 1982, 1986, 1995, 1998, 2001, 2002 and 2006 brought significant snowfall.