SoCal Seasoning

So, what’s the cushiest job in the world?  Being the weatherperson for a local San Diego (California, of course… just in case you thought I was writing about Texas, Nick) television station.  It has been said that San Diego has but one season; nice.  And for the most part, from a meteorological perspective, the weather here tends more to the mild than the oppressive.

Some claim there are in fact two seasons: wet and dry.  But that is an oversimplification of the precipitation trends hereabout that could mislead.  It is true that most of our rain (and scant snow) falls within a window that stretches from December through March.  However, even during this quasi-season, there are far more dry days than wet.  Lack of rainfall is a problem in these parched parts.  Though the use of imported water for irrigation creates the illusion of natural lushness, the native flora is mostly scrub.  Even the mighty oaks in these climes are referred to as “Scrub Oak”; the blue birds as “Scrub Jays”.  If you have ever wondered why the indigenous peoples of this area were essentially living in the Stone Age when the Spanish arrived, it was because they spent most of their time looking for acorns!  But I digress.

Is it true then, that San Diego enjoys but one season all year ‘round?  Well, if the answer were yes, that would pretty much end this missive… and you know that ain’t gonna happen! So today, I will grace you all with my interpretation of seasons in San Diego.

Wet Season

This may be a bit of a misnomer: While it is used to define that portion of the meteorological calendar in which we experience the majority of our precipitation, it like saying this soup is salty when a single grain has been added to the low sodium recipe.  San Diego is dry.  This should come as no surprise as the climate zone is most correctly identified as semi-arid.  In actuality, it is at the very low end of that range and approaches arid, spelled D-E-S-E-R-T.

The number crunchers tell us the average since 1850 (that’s when the State founded) is right about ten inches; sometimes much more, often much less.  The low precipitation totals combined with population growth have resulted in a constant struggle to keep the area (all of Southern California, really) hydrated.  The importation efforts have severely taxed sources such as the Colorado River.  But such is the subject for a future post.

Fire Season

This is the exciting one.  It is understandably that part of the year when the area falls victim to Santa Ana winds.  For non-locals, these are winds that blow opposite from the normal direction of west to east.  They are caused by the heating of the air in the desert to the east.  Gusts in the desert valleys can exceed 100 mph (rarely) but quite often exceed 40 mph..  They may be warm (as they are at this writing) but always dry.  The danger is reduction of the relative humidity that multiplies the chance of wildfire.  If you are not familiar with San Diego, you may picture it as an ocean side paradise populated with beaches, hotels and one big-ass zoo.  But most of the county is rural back country that, when prompted by dry weather and wind, can become a blazing inferno.  I personally have been driven from my home twice in ten years.  Luckily, my house was spared; some of my neighbors were not so lucky.

I’ll bet you probably never considered fire danger a weather concern.  But in days like we’re experiencing this January; temperatures in the mid-eighties, humidity at twenty percent or lower and the BREEEEEZE (local inside joke) blowing out of the east; you can bet the weather forecaster and their talking head TV weather reporters are concentrating all their attention of brush fire reports, not rain-fall totals.

Zonie Season 

Their state being where it is, and its residents being who they are; there is a natural proclivity for Zonies (if you haven’t figured it out yet, we’re insulting people who live in Arizona) to abandon their homes during the heat of the summer.  And of course, since our little piece of paradise is at the terminus of the shortest route to the ocean, San Diego is their destination of choice.

I have a feeling they are somewhat motivated to recapture the water we stole from their river (the Colorado, in case you’ve lost track) by using up all of our ice cubes.  Thankfully they drive here.  It facilitates identification of the really bad drivers because you can pick them out by the Arizona license plates.  Now while you would never engage in such activity aimed at Grandma for driving along with her left turn blinker in eternity mode; once you have identified the offending slow-poke as a tourist from the Copper State, it is perfectly acceptable to show them the international sign of the saguaro cactus (think about it... there you go).  They in turn, will smile, wave and cross three traffic lanes to get to Taco Bell (Mmm… Mmm… real Mexican Food!).

May Gray/June Gloom 

This phenomenon is caused by, guess who, those damned Zonies.  Every year in mid- to late-spring, the summer heating of the desert to the east causes their air to rise.  This sucks our air into the desert which in turn sucks ocean air over our coastal land mass. The result is a near constant marine layer of low clouds covering at least half of our real estate.  It can get quite depressing.  Our only relief is that it lasts late enough into the year to result in disappointment for the tourists from Arizona who were hoping for some tan time on the beach.

“Wabbit Season”