Weather Tidbits -- Dennis McTighe

Once again, a cloudy, gloomy weekend, followed by a pristine Monday

with minimal crowds.

Weekends are treacherous for your Tidbit Guy, but he comes out of

hibernation with gusto on Monday mornings.

The drones and clones are back doing their 9-to-5 thing, and of course

it’s sunny and beautiful here on Monday, July 1.

Monday also saw the beginning of the 2002-03 rain season, which is

kept like the fiscal year from July 1 to June 30.

The 2001-02 season marked the driest season ever for more than 80% of

all communities in Southern California, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico.

Los Angeles totaled a scant 4.42 inches during 2002-02, shattering the

41-year-old record of 4.85 inches in 1960-61. Records in L.A. began in

1877, so it was the driest in 125 years, at least.

Central and northern portions of the state had near normal figures, as

did the Pacific Northwest.

Laguna came close to the all-time dry. Our season totaled exactly what

L.A. had (4.42 inches). Our record is still intact: 4.30 inches, also in

‘60-’61.

Heck, to put things in perspective, we got 4.30 inches in 2 1/2 hours

the morning of Sat., Dec. 6, 1997!

A persistent, obstinate ridge of high pressure parked itself off the

Northern California coast in mid-December and promptly paid five months

rent right then and there.

Storms kept knocking at his door but no go. He had the only key and

his domain was parched and lifeless, making wildfire vulnerable by May.

Northern and Central California were lucky they got all those storms

early and often, because the new year brought even them virtually

nothing.

The first half of 2002 set a dry record in the surf department, too.

That same ridge redirected any low pressure cells to take a

Northeasterly course, shutting down Hawaii and California come late

January. Laguna has seen just one overhead day since then. And that one

day was a fraud anyhow, as 20 mph onshores just trashed the 6- to 7-foot

grinders that showed up for one day only. The next day the wind died, it

got glassy, but of course the waves shrank to 1 to 3 feet.

It’s been in a real funk since then. But me thinks, “not for long,” my

friends. My gut feeling is it’s going to go off the Richter soon and pay

us back with interest!

I see a real downpour sometime in July or August. We might get nailed

by something tropical, because the trade winds have really slacked off

down there near Equatorial waters.

That means less upwelling from colder subsurface water, so eastward

spreading of warmer than normal water. I see a Category Five monster born

in a pocket of 89-degree water off Puerto Escondido and affecting our

surf and weather both.

Just a hunch now folks, so don’t take me too seriously. In fact, never

take your Tidbitter too seriously, because if blarney were a brass band,

then I’d be a symphony orchestra, guaranteed.

See you next week, I hope.

* DENNIS MCTIGHE is a Laguna Beach resident.