We're having a lovely rain in Southern California, slow and steady - my plants are so happy.

I had frost at least twice last week and already 6/10th of an inch with this storm and more on the way.
The ski resorts are boosting the economy.

Cold rain pouring down right now in the central valley. We're forcast to fall into the mid 20s tonight and tomorrow night. Hopefully, we'll keep enough cloud cover to keep us on the warmer side of things. Plants in my yard is pretty much on their own, with the exception of a majesty palm and a kentia palm. Potted aloes that I am propagating and some Hakea Laurinia & Eucalyptus Macrocarpa seedlings are in an unheated storage house. Let's see how we fare...

My second soaking rain here in Torrance since April, so I'm hoping it is winter for good this time. I did turn the heat on for the first time this year yesterday, so it does feel like it finally. Take 2 on reseeding some sections that were weeded recently and fingers crossed that the CA poppy and golden lupine seedlings just coming up elsewhere don't get washed out or drowned. Those little guys can be so touchy sometimes.

If it's another 4 or 5 inch winter this year, I swear I'm cutting back my plant count by a third, as the restrictions will be brutal. I'm not sure, but I think none of our restrictions have even been lifted for this year yet.

I'm lovin' every drop, Socalgal. So desperately needed. Stuck some onions in the ground yesterday, so I hope this gives 'em a good start.

Got 300 gallons in the rain barrels. Need more barrels!

It's sad to watch so much precious water run down gutters, destined for the ocean. We need more reservoirs in Southern California. We should be saving and using this water, not dumping it.

As I'm a man of my word the vast majority of time-lol,the tenders are either in the garage(Plumeria too big to move in its 24" pot,so covered)or like Firesticks-a blankie. And its a ratty thing my old dog used. Should still be there in the morning.This IS the bay area you-know...

Hey Stan...It's Mike in Sacramento.
I had a light dusting of wet snow at my house early this morning in Fair Oaks. It only stuck to the grassy areas and car roofs then was gone by 9am...I'm not looking forward to this freeze the next couple nights! At 7pm local time it was already 34 at my place so I am probably looking at mid 20's for the early AM. I covered my young Valencia orange tree but my other citrus and palms are on there own. I'm not too worried actually since they all survived fine during the big freeze of Jan. 2007. Looking forward to the shift in the weather pattern later this week which will bring milder and moist Pacific air

On Sunday, it got down to 24. The weather man didn't say that it was going to be in the 20's, he said it would be in the lower 30's. I went out to check my garden and all of my cool season plants(3 kinds of lettuce, spinach, chard and broccoli) were stiff as cardboard. I thought they were goners, but they recovered. I have been covering them with a frost blanket because we are expecting "record breaking cold" tonight and tomorrow night. We were hoping for rain, but it went south of us.
Donna in Orland

Hey Mike!,been awhile-lost my password to hardy palm board.I have to email them to get it back.
Hayward-my small part of- was 33.6 this morning..warming fairly fast. The indicator plants like brugs are part wilty. More solid leafed tender plants looks ok so far. In three weeks is the real show of 90% damage..as its my experience that with some tropicals..man,it might not be until summer that they show..death!

It got down to 28° last night. I think we got about an inch of rain from the storm. I haven't been out to look at my plants because I am afraid at what I will find and it is too icy for me to walk. I couldn't cover my delicate plants like brugmansias, because still recovering from a broken hip. I looked out the window this morning and saw a robin ice skating on the bird bath. Not a good sign for my plants.

My lawn was iced over this morning. But the potted plants including some potted citrus looked fine. Need to go later to investigate.

It got down to 20 up here in Orland. My lettuce is like cardboard. The frost blanket just didn't give them much protection. I'm just hoping my green leafy veges well be able to recover. Our weatherman's forecast, "burrrr". I didn't get any rain, we sure need it.

It was 30 at 6am and my neighbors aren't smart enough to turn off their sprinklers after the inch of rain so ice on the sidewalk. Frost by 8am and gone by 10am.
Bracing for 28 tonight. Everything I have should tolerate it except for the Lantana which turns black but comes back fine.

For the bay area the worst has to be over as its hazy and a tad over 50. Just two weeks ago that was our low. Or was it a week ago? Winter just fell fast...

It really didn't help my succulents that we got some heavy rain right before the freeze. we got down to 30F and 27F respectively on the two nights of the freeze. Some of my aloes are showing dark blotching (the leaves are still holding their shape though). It surprised me that Aloe Maculata & Bergersfortensis were the ones with the most amount of blotching. Does anyone know if they will survive? (I mean, apart from coming back from underground pups?). Some others like kalanchoe and Aloe Blue Elf had droopy leaves. Also, a furcraea foetida has a dark overtone to it. The leaves are still firm. This is such a beautiful plant & I would hate to lose it? any comments on these?

Suprising that none of the following are showing any damage: Aloe Alooides, Aloe Arborescens, Sticks on Fire, Aloe Speciosa.

I think my jade plant is a goner. I put all my containers of succulents in the garage after that first night of the freeze, but I think I was too late. This is the second time I have lost one to a freeze, I guess I will have to go shopping for another this spring.

It looks like my greens are hardier then I thought. My lettuce and spinach leaves have been like cardboard every morning, but the come back after they thaw out.
Donna

I've lost a Jade before when forgetting it was out there. Now they stay inside from Oct-March.
2.3 inches of rain since past Monday and hope to be 3 by tomorrow.
Natives starting to wake up and ceanothus starting to bud and bloom and crepe myrtles and russian sage are going dormant. The hummers are going nuts over the honeysuckle in bloom.

This morning was nearly 20f warmer than that of a few days ago. This is going to be a wild winter with ma nature tossing the kitchen sink at us due to El Nino.

It's pouring cats and dogs outside again. It's not helping at all that it rained right before the freeze, and it's raining again after the freeze. Hopefully, the next couple of days will bring some much needed sunshine and warmth!

1.8 inches in the rain gauge so far for this storm and 1.0 for the one a few days ago. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for more.

Brugs, sweet potato, aloes, echeverrias, kalanchoes, aeoniums, staghorn and sword ferns froze and blackened. We pulled out the frozen tomatoes, eggplants and peppers, and I cut the irises that were in bloom and brought them inside. So far, I have seen very little damage to the avocados and citrus.

I didn't get all my seeds out, but the ones I had planted already sprouted and then froze, so I think I'll throw more out in February.

The pets are miserable. Especially the chickens- they hate the cold and the wet, and I have not been letting them out into the yard in the rain. They're bored. At least the cat can climb the Christmas tree...
Renee

Stan, I'm glad to see the 7 day forecast here doesn't have any lows under 40 which is a nice change from last week for sure! Both Tuesday and Wed mornings got down to around 25 at my place. My citrus,palms,cordylines,yuccas, all did fine, but, my musa basjoo got fried of course and is toast for the season (it had a nice long run this year though). I have a large jade plant in a container outside year round which was unscathed ,but,it's under an overhang so it has a few degrees more protection. I also have a clump of bird of paradise(strelitzia reginae) planted in the ground under the same overhang and it was mostly unscathed. Just had a few lightly damaged leaves that stuck out a bit beyond the protection of the overhang. It was really interesting to see the difference in a matter of inches (overhang vs. no overhang)....Mike

The news has been about the heavy rains in the southland..very 1999 El Nino sounding like year its shaping up to be. Last year this time,the Hayward hills were still brownish,they are greened up already.When I looked at the thermo. around 6am it was already 54..so,warm rains. Kinda nice to see the green,and the puddles.
Mike,that's part of the fun..find that sweet spot to grow what would never grow for anybody else in town if they didnt know a bit of protection...

We have slightly over 2" of rain from the last storms, yesterday and today. And much warmer, 57° now, and only dropping into the mid 40's at night.
Clare

Brugs, sweet potato, aloes, echeverrias, kalanchoes, aeoniums, staghorn and sword ferns froze and blackened.

Ohhhh...! Bummer. Sorry to hear that!