My friends were texting. It is a rainy December Saturday after 5 AM, with lots of storm sounds, and they were commenting on the gusty winds. One of them shared a screen grab of a warning that a very intense weather front was coming in, filled with lightning and movement…
And then the phone SHRIEKED. Because a rain-wrapped pillar of swirling air was coming toward land in Daly City (the city just south of San Francisco).
Spoiler: the tornado danger passed, it was okay, I got live texts from the friend who had shared the warning as he sheltered in a basement, the local emergency alert service eventually also decided that, being late to the show, they should at least tell us it was over.
I had plans today, on the basis that a little rain isn’t a big deal, and I could still run errands. I am… rethinking all of those plans. I can surely… appreciate the INDOORS today.
Mmmmmmm. It turns out that, even in hot weather, I want my espresso drinks hot. There are exceptions. (Lavender lattes are pretty pleasant iced…)
Other parts of the country are setting records for high numbers of consecutive days with temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, but here in SF, where people like me were raised under a friendly, fluffy blanket of fog, the health and safety warnings warn us about temperatures over 90.
I feel seen.
I stepped out of my house briefly this morning, only to discover that it is at least 8 degrees warmer out there, likely in the high 70s! I’ll be hiding from the sun all day, if I can help it.
This is the rare type of week where people who are allowed to work remotely go into the office – because offices have AIR CONDITIONING. (Finally, a good reason!)
While I grew up on the sunny side of San Francisco, I currently live near the edge of the fog belt. I love fog, but not every day – I like variety.
When the fog belt limits visibility, I often believe that it is foggy EVERYWHERE, but sunny weather may be just a streetcar ride away! As a lighting-obsessed photographer, always interested in which buildings and other features are lit from which direction, I began to rely on live webcams back in 2004 to tell me if the fog belt has an edge.
The fancy webcam I currently use and recommend is at the Exploratorium (exploratorium.edu), now located at Pier 15 along the Embarcadero. (Embarcadero = the pier(s) in Spanish.)It looks eastward from the pier, toward the east bay and our Bay Bridge, day and night. It not only provides a view, but also weather station and other monitoring equipment measuring the wind, any rain (we wish), water depth, salinity, and other cool data. This screenshot gives you a preview of what I mean:
It’s not looking good for the sunlit scenes I was hoping to capture today…
At the moment, I can see that it was too optimistic of me to take film out of the refrigerator before I even had breakfast this morning, but at least I know now, rather than after I’ve geared up and headed out.
The link for your enjoyment is here:
Wired Pier Environmental Field Station | Exploratorium
A collection of sensors around the Exploratorium campus is measuring and recording conditions in the environment—the weather, Bay water quality, pollution, and more.
Yes, there is a Wikipedia page devoted to June Gloom, which also names “May Gray,” “No-Sky July,” and “Fogust” as some of our regional nicknames for these anti-postcard weather patterns, if you need to sound like a local over your artisanal, locally roasted cup of coffee.
A rainstorm arrived late Friday, and it is such a RELIEF. We’ve gone from a red flag fire warning last weekend (yes, in December) to WATER FALLING FROM THE SKY!
From the National Weather Service (updated for new record in Santa Cruz, up from 102)
Today we had record-breaking (oppressive) heat (shown above and here); unhealthy air from wildfire smoke; the usual COVID-19 safety warnings; and a few small, local earthquakes. Of course we did.
The air outside is finally cooling off, but by air I really mean smoke. Cooling smoke. Gahhhhh.
