I'd planned another post for today but Mother Nature unexpectedly put on a major show this week and it warranted some attention. Our third rainstorm of the season moved in late Tuesday, slowly built up steam on Wednesday, and finally gave us a thorough soaking on Thursday before moving eastward. The rain was heavy at times and, for several hours yesterday, it looked as if we were cocooned in a cloud.
 |
| The effect was pretty in an eerie kind of way as neighboring houses simply disappeared |
 |
| The usually bustling Los Angeles harbor was invisible and also silent |
 |
| Even the birds were silent but then my failure to refill their feeders may have something to do with that |
The clouds gradually lifted late in the afternoon, once again revealing the Los Angeles harbor below us. As sunlight crept in, a rainbow appeared, arcing over the harbor, and I took my camera outside to capture it.
 |
| The rainbow created a complete 180 degree arc but I was unable to get a shot long enough to capture all of it |
While I was out and about, I noticed what at first looked like smoke wafting over the fence that separates my cutting garden from the back garden. Intense sunlight hitting the wet fence was causing water in the wood to evaporate in the form of steam. I tried to capture the effect with my camera but was only minimally successful.
 |
| That fuzzy blur above the top of the fence was stream |
As the sun began to dip, a second, fatter rainbow appeared.
 |
| You can read about what makes some rainbows look wider than others here if you're interested |
And, like the end of any good fireworks display, Mother Nature's performance ended with a stunning sunset.
We got nearly 2 inches of rain over the course of the 3 days, with most of it arriving yesterday. Our seasonal total to date is 4 inches which already exceeds the paltry amount we got last year. (Our "rain years" are measured from October 1st through September 30th.) Unfortunately, the rain caused havoc in the areas recently impacted by fire here. Mudslides precipitated yet another round of evacuations and for a time snow closed the major highway artery between Southern and Northern California.
 |
| Highway 5 is open again but the mountains to the northeast of us were dusted in snow this morning |
Today's Los Angeles Times included an article speculating on what this storm, much stronger than originally anticipated, signifies about the balance of our rainy season. NOAA has been predicting a good chance of a moderate
El Niño this year. The Times referred to this week's storm as indicative of a "wanna-be
El Niño" and said that the season suggests a "battle between
El Niño and the blob," a persistent patch of warm water in the northeastern Pacific that in years past has prevented rainstorms from reaching Southern California, driving our drought. That sounds like the title of a horror movie, doesn't it? We'll hope this particular movie is a bust. For those of you to the east in the storm's path, I hope it treats you gently. Best wishes for a pleasant weekend.
All material © 2012-2018 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
So glad you got that much rain with no problems. I've seen that evaporation effect before and it is quite a surprise always.
ReplyDeleteWith the heightened nerves over fire here, despite our drenching, my first thought was that the vapor was smoke!
DeleteYes, that would be a great title for a horror movie! Gosh, you have the best views, don't you?! The rainbows, the sunset, the snow-covered mountains...wow! I'm so glad for you that you've received needed rain.
ReplyDeleteWhen the air is clear, the views are great, Beth. Unfortunately, clean air is becoming a less frequent occurrence.
DeleteDelighted for your rain.
ReplyDeleteMudslides are bad news.
The mudslides were almost inevitable I guess, Diana. I know people were taking precautions (setting sandbags in place, etc.) prior to the last storm but somehow those actions never seem to be enough.
DeleteWhat a contrast of some very pretty pictures. I'm glad you received rain, even if it came all at once.
ReplyDeleteThe heavy rain didn't create any significant problems in my immediate area but, sadly, the burn areas can't handle more than a half inch within an hour's time and apparently they got a lot more than that.
DeleteHooray for rain, although it is harrowing that the areas that were burnt got mudslides as well. I often see that steam effect here with late spring/early summer rain. We've just had a rather cold, dry, sunny week, with overnight lows down into the low 20s -- Brrrrr! Rain is supposed to return tonight along with slightly higher temps.
ReplyDeleteI don't remember ever seeing steaming fences before - it really did startle me for a moment. I'm sorry to hear of your cold snap. I can't even imagine temperatures in the low 20s.
DeleteGlad to hear that you have had more of the wet stuff Kris. We've had plenty of it too this week with at least two rainbows but I didn't manage to take any photos. I'm always excited to see them :)
ReplyDeleteI enjoy the rainbows too, Anna. They always get me out of my chair and outside lickety-split as they never seem to last long.
DeleteA garden refreshed by rain is a wonderful thing but I am sorry about the mudslides. And now it has moved our way.
ReplyDeleteI really hope that storm loses its power as it moves east in your direction, Jenny!
DeleteTwo inches of rain - hurrah! And with rainbows, sunsets, and views of snow-capped mountains, life is good!
ReplyDeleteI just wish we could have bubble-wrapped the burn areas before the storm arrived, Eliza. It didn't help that it was much more powerful than had been expected.
DeleteI'm glad your rain is finally getting ample rain! I hope everything gets very green and beautiful now!
ReplyDeleteI currently have more rain than I could store, which has not happened in a long time. I need a bigger rain collection tank!
DeleteI bet it feels as good to you as to your plants to have your air washed so good. To get a rainbow on top is a bonus. It did look spooky with the cloud hanging so close. One could expect Big Foot to walk out of the gloom. I hope you have a great weekend.
ReplyDeleteEverything does look cleaner and more vivid after a good rain, Lisa.
DeleteSo very happy you got so much rain! You're right, 'The Blob' DOES sound like a great title for a horror movie. Ugh - the thought of it.... (shudder). If there is a battle, I hope El Niño wins.
ReplyDeleteThere actually was a classic sci-fi B-movie called "The Blob," issued in 1958, starring, believe it or not, Steve McQueen. Like Godzilla and Mothra, it might be best if they join forces to save the earth by coordinating their behavior rather than wreaking destruction in their own special ways.
DeleteTwo inches in 3 days is a lot of rain even up here. It's no wonder the burn areas experienced mudslides from that. Glad you got the benefit of the rain without any of the negatives.
ReplyDeleteI actually live in an open spaces hazard zone, the current boundary of which runs right through the middle of our house, but as a recent geological survey showed we're sitting on bedrock. No slippage here!
DeleteHi Kris, your plants will be happy, but it's terrible what's still happening in the burned areas. Our bushfire season has already started, earlier than other years I think. I read that people in California are considering controlled burning, which tends to be the policy here and is supposed to make the bushfires less intense and widespread.
ReplyDeleteThe expert opinion here now is: there is no longer a defined "fire season" - California's fires are a year-round phenomenon. The state has always used some controlled fires but there's a push to use them on a broader basis. The widespread death of many of the trees throughout the state, due partly to our prolonged drought and partly to insects like the bark beetle, also suggests a need to clean out - and restore - forest areas. More controversial but just as important is the need to address where people are building and how homes are constructed in fire risk areas. Housing shortages complicate matters there.
DeleteHi Kris, seeing your foggy photos was certainly a change! Eerie and beautiful! But of course I love the images of the rainbows and sunset. Glad you are getting some rain, and I hope the blob is defeated!
ReplyDeleteThe blob's been hanging around in the Pacific for years now. Sadly, stopping global warming appears the only solution and there's still too little commitment to that.
DeleteIt was wonderful, wasn't it?
ReplyDeleteEl Nino vs. The Blob. I'll make the popcorn. I hope this isn't it for the rain, and that we get more.
Excellent photos.
Once burned, twice shy on the rain projections? Despite declaring that I was going to avoid regular checks of the crazy-making extended forecasts, I keep going there. Both Accuweather and Weather Underground are showing a decent chance of very light rain early Saturday (just in time to delay my scheduled tree trimming perhaps) and again late Sunday but there's no significant rain in the extended forecast until Christmas Eve.
DeleteGlad you got some rain but sorry it's causing mudslides in the recently-burned areas! Gorgeous pictures! Hope your plants are very happy!
ReplyDeleteSo far, Peter, the only signs of celebration is among the Gazanias, which are suddenly popping into bloom! Bloom Day will be light this month I think but I'm hoping for a better turn-out in January.
DeleteThat's a lot of rain! It's all about the extremes now isn't it?
ReplyDeleteYep, it seems to be!
DeleteMeanwhile, just a short drive way, up the Bay Area - we've only had one large'ish rain storm and a few smaller events (at least in my neck of the woods). Hopefully we get several more storms to help fill up our soil moisture content 'piggy banks'. Even with a small amount of rain our plants look much more plump - one young aloe even had a leaf split open.
ReplyDeleteThe Bay area is a little more than a short drive by my standards but I thought you were doing better than we are in the rain department. In any case, I hope both of our areas are due for much more before the winter rainy period is over. Yesterday's Los Angeles Times reported that the snowbank is currently sitting at 106% of "normal" versus 47% at this time last year but it's too early to get confident about where the year is headed.
Delete