Rain!

Ok, time for all you non-Jamulians to start laughing.

We've had our first measurable rain of the season, breaking our usual months-long dry spell.  Last night we had 0.08" (about 2mm) of rain.  That's about equal to a flock of pigeons flying over and spitting when they see my weather station. 

But it's enough to wet the ground, and (most importantly) raise the moisture content of the enormous amount of formerly tinder-dry fuel in the dead brush, twigs, and branches of the chaparral.  For us out here amongst the spotted towhees and California quail, that's a big deal – for it drops our risk of wildfire significantly.  I can't quite call it the end of the fire season yet, because it's possible for a few weeks of dry weather to get that fuel moisture back down.  But there's a good chance that we've dodged any major fires this year...

Now that the rainy season is officially declared “open” (by me, the self-proclaimed weatherman of Lawson Valley), I've added the rainfall widges to the sidebar at right...