First Santa Anas of Season

Moderate Santa Anas, first of the season, forecast to begin to night. Gusts to 40+ mph, humidity in the single digits. With the Station Fire still not completely extinguished, the occasion is being marked with a little more ceremony than usual by officials and newscasters.

According to this humble chronicle, they are arriving a little earlier this year than last. Find the complete record here:

Santa Ana Winds

I find, too, Wikipedia has an article worthy of the subject.

An unusual week ends

Santa Anas began gusting early Sunday, if I remember correctly. Not the soft, jacuzzi-warm Santa Anas we've been having. These were lip-cracking sandblasters. Gusts over 100mph recorded on some lonely Wile E. Coyote peak. Not hot. But not cold either. Warm, but with the wind chill factor factored in, strangely temperate. By Sunday night, the fires had been lit.

I noticed what has come to be known as the Santiago fire Sunday evening as I was headed home driving east. It was attributed to an arsonist. Fox News couldn't resist raising the specter of an Al-Quaeda connection. Smoke in the office all week had me craving barbecue potato chips.

The winds had calmed by Wednesday, died by Friday. Half of San Diego burned. They even evacuated Del Mar! On my way to work early Wednesday, I looked to the east. Right around sunrise, foothills silhouetted against a brilliant orange sky. Two thin lines of smoke trailing up like the residue of primordial campfires. Ok, the metaphor is a bit overwrought. But there was something Land of the Lostish about it. Full red moon last night in the eastern sky. Full red moon this morning in the western sky.

First Santa Anas of Season

Started about 3am this morning. At least that's when I first noticed them. Pretty stiff -- discovered a downed tree at the neighborhood park down at the corner. (Leafless, it looks like it had died a while ago. Although I run by it every morning, I hadn't noticed.)

Still at the moment. Beautiful day. Warm, dry, staticky. Hotel California weather. You either love it or hate it. Joan Didion's essay I've always thought the best literary treatment. (Funny today to think this first appeared in the Saturday Evening Post.)

It's the reason why I find it so difficult to imagine living anywhere else. Visited my dad this afternoon and could see Catalina offshore from the hills 50 miles away.

A current photo of the Huntington Beach doesn't quite capture the spirit:



Looks like a short-lived Santa Ana.

Legitimate Santa Ana Wind

I say legitimate because I am experiencing it. Left for home from South County around 9pm. As I reached Chapman heading north on the 55 in Orange I felt the first blast. Rolled down the windows. Dry, smoky air. Is there already a brush fire burning?

I heard a pretty good song about the Santa Anas by Tom Russell on NPR yesterday morning.

A Day that Will Live in Infamy

Santa Anas are back after a brief respite. One of those magical December Southern California days. I spent the day mangling XML.

Meanwhile, in Oceanside...

October Perfection

This the kind of October I dream of. Warm, smoky Santa Anas at the beginning of the week. Indian summer paradise at the end. And how have I taken advantage of it thus far? By showing up at the office each day like a clown.

What I missed today:


Cardiff-by-the-Sea


Oceanside Harbor


Life sucks, even when it's not that bad.

First Day of Autumn Weather

The Santa Anas forecast (twice, actually, since my last post) never materialized. At least, where I am. Sure, there was hot, dry weather, fires in Ventura and LA. But we never got that charged northeast breeze and the planes taking off in the other direction at John Wayne.

Today was breezy, cool. Football weather. Full moon this weekend to coincide with the chillier weather and Halloween clouds. I try to hold the note as long as possible.

First Santa Anas of Season

Forecast for this weekend:



So there's that to look forward to.

Oh yeah, I missed some good waves today:



Shit.

A Touch of Autumn

Ok, after several straight days of 100+ temperatures (often accompanied by unusual humidity) a couple weeks ago, anything below 90 would feel unsummery. But that's not it. No, the sign of change was the sky this morning. Mackerel. Not the thick ceiling of June gloom. But patchy cotton balls. A bit of breeze. Cool and comfortable.

Just talked to my brother. He said the ocean temp is down in the low 60s. Autumn is here. White shoes are out. Wetsuits are back in fashion.

Of course, the transition will be beyond doubt once we have our first Santa Anas. Indian summer is not summer. It is most definitely autumn.

Santa Anas with a Vengeance

The cold spell has been broken. This morning it was chilly and hazy. Shortly after noon, the winds kicked up here making the day warmer, sharper. This evening, a full moon or almost a full moon. I've turned down all the lights, thrown open all the windows, and enjoy a glass of wine on the balcony. In between gusts anyway.