Southern California is home to a fairly unique weather phenomenon known as the Santa Ana winds. The Santa Ana winds are an offshore wind event. This means that winds will flow from the inland deserts toward the Pacific Ocean. This happens when high pressure over the deserts pushes air to the west Credit: USGS Dry air
Continue Reading
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), a water year is defined as ‘the 12-month period starting October 1, for any given year through September 30, of the following year’. The water year measures the total water received by a certain area during that year. Think of it as the fiscal year for water.
Continue Reading
September 2023 by all accounts was quite nice. 19 days saw temperatures below the seasonal average and only 10 days had daily highs above average. One day, September 14th, had a high temperature which matched the average for that day. No days this month tied or broke a record temperature. The average high temperature for
Continue Reading
All three months of meteorological summer (June, July and August) in 2023 fall within the top ten hottest months of all time across the globe! June 2023 was the 8th hottest month on record, with an average temperature of 16.51°C (61.72°F). August 2023 was the second hottest month on record, only being beaten by July
Continue Reading
We feel a lot of wind in the San Gorgonio Pass and here in the Coachella Valley. There’s two main reasons why – The Venturi Effect and the difference in temperature between the Coachella Valley and the Inland Empire. The Venturi Effect describes how fluids (any gas or liquid) behave in an area of constricted
Continue Reading
Lately, we have seen many days with air quality and visibility concerns. We have talked at length about how and why we have seen so many days like this, but the short answer is that small and very light particles of sand, dust and dried mud are easily picked up by even relatively light winds.
Continue Reading
As California’s 2023 legislative session comes to a close, there are a number of bills relating to climate legislation which have passed and are awaiting the governor’s signature to become law. One of the bills which has been talked about the most is the Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act. This bill would require corporations with
Continue Reading
We here in the Coachella Valley frequently see days with gusty conditions but also air quality and visibility concerns. The usual culprit for these hazy days is a pollutant known as PM10 (Particulate Matter 10). The 10 refers to the size of the particles in micrometers or microns. PM10 often includes things like small pieces
Continue Reading
Now that Labor Day has passed, many people will say that we are now in autumn, unofficially at least. But that begs the question, when is the official start of fall? Well, there’s a few ways to answer that question depending on who you ask. If you ask an astronomer, they will tell you the
Continue Reading
In many places, like Florida, sinkholes aren’t an uncommon occurrence. In Florida, much of the bedrock is made of limestone, a sedimentary rock. The problem with sedimentary rocks like limestone is that they can easily dissolve in acidic water. When rain falls, small amounts of gasses can dissolve into the water, turning the water ever
Continue Reading
As we all continue our cleanup of the Coachella Valley in the wake of Tropical Storm Hilary, I wanted to take a deeper look at exactly how much water flowed through the valley. I looked into how much water our washes saw from Hilary and how much water they can handle. Credit: Peter Daut The
Continue Reading
Last Thursday, June 8th, 2023, the Climate Prediction Center, a division of NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) issued an El Niño Advisory. An El Niño (or La Niña) advisory is issued when El Niño (or La Niña) conditions are both observed and expected to continue. Across the globe, there are a wide variety of
Continue Reading