And Yet More Rain!

In the past 12 hours, we've had just over an inch (2.5 cm) of rain (click to enlarge the graph at right), and still more is in the forecast.  In fact, the forecast for the week ahead has the probability of rain at between 20% and 70% on each day.

We're having a beautiful beginning to our spring out here in the chaparral.  Everything is greener than we've seen in quite a few years, all thanks to the rains, of course.  Our yard, normally an arboretum of weeds, is now covered with a mixture of grass and other plants we haven't seen for years – and hardly any of the mustard and other noxious invaders of the dry years.

In the past few days, one of the signature plants of the San Diego chaparral – the blue ceanothus species – have erupted into flower at our altitude (around 2200', or 700 meters).  Our hillsides have been painted blue.  Last night on the way home from dinner, Debbie spotted a particularly gorgeous patch along Lyons Valley Road, just south of Barrett Lake.  For the next couple of weeks these will be in full display.

In most years, by late March we have seen the end of our seasonal rains.  This year's rains are continuing right into April, it seems.  Woo hoo!