Over the years I have
operated several weather stations on the ranch. After the last one burned in
the Cedar fire, I replaced it with a Davis Vantage Pro model. The
station is solar powered and transmits data wirelessly to a computer in the
house. From there the information is uploaded automatically to our
weather station website
where you can find up to the minute conditions and details about the
installation. See a related entry in
my journal
here.
My life is impacted daily by the weather. Before I retired, I was an
Irrigation Specialist for San Diego State University
and the weather had a direct influence on how my day would go. Back on the ranch, a dry
winter can mean a long summer with a struggling well. A wet winter means lush growth in
the surrounding hills but potential wild fires during the summer. Too much rain and our
roads wash out making the drive to town a real adventure. When the news media talks about
El Nino or La Nina, I have to listen.
The B & H Ranch is at
an elevation of 3,500 ft. We have the ocean influence from the west and the hot
desert winds from the east. The winters are relatively mild with few snowy days
while the summers can be hot and desert like. Summer temperatures linger in the
upper 80's for weeks at time.
T
he
drought in the early 90's affected changes on the ranch that are still apparent
today. Several Coastal Live Oaks could not take the stress and died. Coulter
pines at the higher elevations became infested with beetles and dead areas in
the forest are still visible. Wells in the area began to go dry while ours could
barely keep up with a load of laundry.
Current Conditions (Click for Details)
