Outdoors
Extreme High and Low Tides are set to occur over several days in late December. On Friday, December 23, the tide reaches a high of 7.61 feet at 8:26 am and then falls to -1.96 …
Spectacular Sunsets and Sunrises are characteristic of late fall and early winter’s dry spells. You can drive up to Soledad Park atop Mount Soledad in La Jolla or Mount Helix near La Mesa for an …
Ripening Palm Fruit, hanging in great clusters on California's native fan palms (Washingtonia filifera), can be seen this month. Native Americans of centuries past utilized the black, pea-sized fruit, which consists of a deliciously sweet …
Earliest Sunset (4:42 p.m. from San Diego) occurs Monday, December 3 or 4, a date that is not coincident with the shortest day (winter solstice – December 21) because of factors relating to the non-circular …
Atmospheric Ice-crystal Effects are often observed, starting about this time of year, because of the frequent appearance of high clouds made of tiny bits of ice. The most familiar of these optical effects is the …
”Rainbow Season” arrives with the first rains of November or December. Scattered showers are best for rainbow watching: sunlight refracting and reflecting through the raindrops causes two bows to appear — an intense circular arc …
Local Temperatures should be declining most rapidly during this time of year, according to more than a century of local meteorological records. With every successive week, daily maximum temperatures are declining by about 3/4° Fahrenheit, …
Autumn Color in San Diego County’s mountain areas reaches its greatest intensity in late October and early November. The forested heights of Palomar Mountain are especially colorful right now. Black oaks on Palomar’s rolling uplands …
Leaves Are Beginning to Turn in coastal San Diego County’s riparian woodland and oak woodland habitats. The summer-green crowns of willows and sycamores are already fading to yellow and brown. Beneath the oaks, the deciduous …
The Silk Floss Tree, a conspicuous “autumn bloomer” here and there around San Diego, has been showing off its pinkish (or purplish) hibiscus-like flowers for at least a month now. The broad, heavy trunks of …
Chinese Flame Trees all over the San Diego region are displaying colorful clusters of orange, reddish, or salmon-pink seed pods. Good specimens line the south end of Balboa Drive in Balboa Park, and Lake Murray …