January was interesting. Very.

I didn't keep very good notes this month but we have gotten some decent rain. 

When will El Nino really ramp up and kick our butts?

"The popular perception that El Niño always brings a lot of water to the Golden State, though, is not particularly accurate.  The reality is a bit more nuanced....."
Read this blog:

http://www.weatherwest.com/archives/3836

"Has El Nino abandoned LA??"

"By this point in the winter, Southern California was supposed to be dealing with rains and flooding, not brush fires and beach weather.

Yet temperatures have soared this week, breaking records in downtown Los Angeles and other locations across California, with even hotter conditions expected Tuesday.

For all the talk of monster rains from El Niño, all but three days in the last month have been dry in the Los Angeles area."

http://touch.latimes.com/#section/1780/article/p2p-85838641/

1/28 sunrise

As i was making breakfast, i could see out my north window glimpses of a fiery sunrise. Since breakfast is my favorite meal, it was a-cookin', and i was feeling lazy, i gave it a pass. I learned later in the day that was, indeed, fiery.

http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Today-s-Stunning-Sunrise-graces-Bay-Area-6790491.php

http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Today-s-Stunning-Sunrise-graces-Bay-Area-6790491.php#photo-9316710

I didn't feel i missed anything., 'been there, done that'. I've got many like the pix here.

Half an hour later, the skies were less fiery, but more interesting and subtle.

I like the 'more interesting and subtle' part.

1/31

'Sposed to be stormy, it doesn't happen. There some great skies nonetheless. Big bands of thick stuff movin' in off the ocean.

And  when they move in, things can go from one extreme to another in no time flat.

2/9

The last week? Summer-like. And more to come. I am making salads for lunch, not meaty winter time sandwiches or soups.

2/10

I finally took in a great sunrise, left breakfast simmering.....

Many other images this month!  

The sky is a constantly changing panorama - 'enjoy every sandwich' (as Warren Zevon put it), every minute of it. It only happens once.

Above, two kinds of power. Normally I like to not have anything manmade in these images, but this one
has a bit of a message - manmade power (thanks to which you are seeing this) vs. the much greater power of planet earth.

This one, below, happened in between two much cheerier skies, lasted for 30 minutes, then headed east.

The one below happened...

...giving a hint ( I've learned to read those) of what was to come:

'Very Playful' is what I would title this one below.

We are so lucky to be here now!

Finally! El Nino is here!!

December started out quietly enough, but things have really changed.

12/3

Winter weather startin' to kick in. A fast moving storm blows thru, doesn't leave much rain, but significant snow in the Sierras, that's what we need, that fills reservoirs when it melts. As usual, the best pix are on the back side of the front, after it moves thru.

These next three images were shot within a few minutes of each other, it was like a animation, changing from second to second.

Late night, 12/9, i wake up to a ferocious rain, and serious wind. By the time i go to work? it's passed by. I like the timing. It can rain cats, dogs, and other small mammals all night long, but by morning commute, it better be over. And it is.

By 12/19....... we finally started getting whacked.

I love it. When it rains down that's nice.

When it starts rainin' sideways, that's even better.

Of course i can take it in, lookin' out my apt. window, safe and sound.. and dry.

The forecast for the following week?

Now this is what i want to see!

12/21-22

Last night was the biggest whack we have gotten this year. It rained sideways, even more fiercely than before.

I can look out my apt window at a street lamp that clearly shows what is a-happenin'.

Egg-sellent!

1/02/16

Prediction is for a rainy week ahead. Sat PM, the forecast models have moved up the arrival of clouds, but it doesn't look very exciting. 

The predictions come true, however.

This is my choice for Nor Cal weather - the have some excellent doppler radar images and animations:

http://abc7news.com/weather/

Check this one out on a regular basis:

http://www.weatherwest.com/archives/3754

It's pretty scientific, but remains understandable to the lay person.

I happened to come across this, somewhere: NOAA satellite Image late August, 2015 - Three hurricanes in the Pacific - quite unusual!

"In late August, three category 4 hurricanes, Kilo, Ignacio, and Jimena, formed in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean. The Weather Channel reported it was the first time three such hurricanes were seen in the Pacific at one time. El Niño predictions forecast an above-normal hurricane season."

Here's a satellite image from recently, about a week ago:

Same thing going on, three low pressure systems parading across the ocean - California here we come!

In spite of all the above:

"Beyond all the hype over a possible drought-busting El Niño this winter is a much grimmer prospect for California: a dry La Niña come fall."

http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Dry-La-Ni-a-might-follow-soggy-El-Ni-o-6732274.php

Next fall/winter is along way off, isn't it?