Well, we WERE at %30-%40 of our annual rainfall... now, I am getting moldy.... It's so warm here, it's almost like a cool tropical climate. The day before Christmas we were in record territory...almost º70!
When is spring? what did you say? I can't hear... mold in the ears... :o)

I've been enjoying the rain actually, although it was much warmer last week that this week. Today it only nudged 60F but on Saturday, it was really warm as I was shopping for last minute gifts in Emeryville at the shopping mall. It was breaking 70F and everyone was out in tank tops and having lunch outdoors. I needed that one sunny day. Other than that, it's more a nuisance than anything else. There isn't really flooding in urban areas -- the heaviest rain fortunately falls to the north of the heavily populated parts of the bay area, so it tends to be in rural areas where there are streams and rivers.

No watering going on in San Jose. We've had a few good soakings, but have missed most of the rain. Totals for the current storm is about and inch and a half in the Santa Rosa area and .02 in the South Bay.
We're supposed to get more tomorrow and we could use it.

The upside is that when it rains or is cloudy, the temps are much warmer as mentioned. Our nighttime lows have been between 40-50F the past few weeks. That I like!

wanda

We are getting plenty of rain here but it is no worry as we are high on well drained soil. I have had to add another fan in my unheated greenhouse to combat a mold problem. My tulips are 3 inches high about a month early due to the warm weather. I could be pruning the orchard if I did not mind doing it in the rain. Spraying is a waste until we have a couple of dry days predicted. I am saving a little propane with the 50 degree nights instead of 30 degrees. At $2.85 a gallon it is helping my finances. Al

We had a super thunder/ lightning storm Monday morning and lost electricity for about 7 hours. Wouldn't have been too bad except we had a houseful of guests all needing water for a number of reasons, and the well runs on electricity. It's a good thing we keep 2 huge barrels of chlorinated water for flushing toilets. ;^)

Today we're getting a long soft rain that will do the most good. I guess we're suppose to have this the rest of the week. I'd like to see the sun, but we need the rains more.

Looks like I will finally get our first real soaker this weekend. Probably more then I asked for. Only got a sprinkling today (Wed) and measured 0.05". Suppossed to get 4-6" from the next two storms.

Well, the storm didn't show up here today as predicted, although I heard that it rained pretty hard in the wee hours.
After a few drizzles and some morning clouds, the sun came out and it was a beautiful day. I got lots of gardening done.

wanda

I had 30" of rain since 10 December or so, a no-rain day yesterday, good to be outside. Started again last night, 3.75" by 9 a.m. and another 4.0" by 2 p.m. and it's still coming down in sheets.
The low part of my property has merged with the pond, even my driveway is under water, enough already!

And now the wind, which scares the bee's knees out of me! They (those unseen weather/water experts) were saying that if the storm of 1997 were given a rating of 10, this one would be a six. Now, they're saying it's a seven. I'm sure that after Sunday's even bigger, wetter storm, they'll have it up to at least an 8.

As long as the levees and the tree roots hold, I'm ok with this. Maybe a little meditation is in order. :D

Brenda

Take care everyone! I just read the headline at CNN.com saying areas of northern CA are ripe for the worst flooding in years.

Al (Calistoga), how are things with you today?

Lilo, are you preparing to evacuate? Sounds like water will be in your house if the rain doesn't let up where you are.

Still hasn't started here yet but the sky this morning is grey, not like the clear skies of the last two days. Hopeing and praying it doesn't rain on the Rose Parade tomorrow........

Jen

The good news is that with the rains we've been getting, I don't have to water the garden and the half dozen new plants I put in over Thanksgiving weekend are getting established nicely.

The bad news is that the ground is just a little too wet for me to garden in it! I've got two big shrubs to pull out, once I can get in there hopefully they will come up easily.

Biggest problem with the rains for us is not flooding -- we are well situated away from virtually all of it and a French drain we installed a few years ago takes care of the one dubious spot. It's power loss, from the high winds and falling trees breaking the power lines.

With the huge growth in suburban population in Northern Marin and Napa counties, it isn't as rural as it used to be, and they are the ones hardest hit by the rainstorms. The series of storms is coinciding with the highest tide of the year so that's what is causing the rivers to crest over their banks. Fortunately the rains have slowed/stopped but they are expecting flooding to happen with high tide forecast at 11:48 a.m. today.

For those who live in the North Bay, all of us have our fingers crossed for you!

Thanks for asking, Jenn, but not to worry - my property handles water very well, thanks to a man named Homer, who engineered the road and the building site and the dam for the pond, twenty years ago and it's still working!
My whole village is ok, but all the highways and state roads, north and south, are closed due to flooding and mud slides, so nobody can go from here to there anywhere!

Glad you're OK, Lilo. Hope your kitchen is well-stocked!

It finally started raining here around 11:00 AM, a drizzle at first and now a light rain. We NEED some rain to give the garden a good watering. Hope it doesn't start pouring continuously for hours and hours like last year...... that's when I stop enjoying the rain and start wishing it would stop.

I hope everyone else is OK.... my apologies if I missed anyone else in the flooded areas. Please take care and check in when you get a chance.

Jen

I live in the hills west of Calistoga. We never even get puddles here, could be because we have no level ground. Our rain water goes to Calistoga, St Helena and Napa by way of the Napa river. They say we got 8 inches of rain in the last 24 hours. My orchard needs pruning but the muddy hill is impossible to stand on at the moment. Al

We had driving rain this morning with tree ripping winds. Now it is breezy and sunny with not a care in the world ---- the calm before the next storm.

Exactly! What rain? not a cloud in the sky!

Lots of knockdowns, lots of slugs, but with this rain, I need to rig up little cocktail umbrellas over my beer traps ;)

I measured 1.7" here for the last day of '05

Well I had 4.2" from this one since Sunday afternoon. Not bad, 5.9 in 3 days. That catches us up to our average rainfall for this time of year. We had a few old wood fences blow down, and some of a neighbors roof blow away. Not many downed trees, but the wind had to be gusting 40mph.

We have had 17 inches in 17 days! I had just planted hundreds of bulbs the beginning of December. I hope they don't rot. And the winds! We had gusts up to 60 mph. I just got my greenhouse built and it blew out a panel. I am ready for a change of weather!!!

Can we have a little of your rain down here guys? I havent seen such a dry year in S Cal at least since I started gardening 6-7 years ago. I have measured something like 7" season total here, but most areas have probably only had 2-3". -I dont want to water-