What happens in an always warm world when it doesn’t rain for an unusual amount of time?
It’s a Dry Heat
February 27, 2020 •
Weather
The Bay Area is famous for its microclimates. Learn about the patterns of rain, sun, and wind that make our home what it is.
How to Start Adapting to California’s “Precipitation Whiplash”
November 8, 2019 •
Much of California enjoys a mild Mediterranean climate where the weather typically swings like a pendulum from warm, dry summers to cool, wet winters. Year-to-year, this pendulum can swing with great variation. If it doesn’t swing toward rain and snow … Read more
California’s Early June Heat Wave Cooked Coastal Mussels in Place
June 26, 2019 •
Bodega Marine Reserve research coordinator Jackie Sones has worked in or walked on the rocky shores of the North Coast almost every day for the last 15 years. But while she was surveying the reserve for sea stars in mid-June, … Read more
Was That A Cold Winter? Not Entirely.
March 5, 2019 •
Why was it so cold this winter? Temperatures this February in the Bay Area were colder than we’ve been accustomed to as of late, and this will go down as the coolest February in 30 years for some locations. But … Read more
University Scientists Feel the Pain of the Government Shutdown, Too
January 25, 2019 •
The Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory is usually a bustling place. But these days, writes scientist Nicholas Bond, it’s distressingly quiet.
Will It Ever Rain Again? The Models Say “Whoa”
November 1, 2018 •
The emotional toll of drought and climate anxiety, as expressed in animated GIFs on a weather discussion blog.
Do Sunsets Get Better in the Fall?
October 30, 2018 •
It’s not smog or smoke making the sky more colorful.
Fishing Forecasts Can Predict Marine Creature Movements
October 3, 2018 •
Marine animals adjust their lives to the weather just like you do.
It’s So Hot Everywhere Else — Why Not in the Bay Area?
September 11, 2018 •
Most of the state has set record temperatures this summer, but San Francisco has been cool and almost permanently cloudy because of its cool marine layer.
How Extreme Heat Caught San Francisco By Surprise Over Labor Day Weekend
September 19, 2017 •
Forecasters thought it would be hot in San Francisco over Labor Day — meaning, you know, in the high 80s. Instead it was 106. What happened?