Tag Archive for: Weather

As San Diego's temperatures soar, be sure your water use isn't soaring by using water resources efficiently. Photo: DaveJessica - Creative Commons License use water resources efficiently

San Diego Region Expects Sizzling Summer Heat

/in , /by by Water News Network staff

Water Authority offers tips to keep things cool while using water resources efficiently

The first major heat wave of summer 2018 in the San Diego region arrived Friday, and it is expected to continue through the weekend. Temperatures hit a record 111 degrees in communities including El Cajon, Escondido, and Ramona on Friday. The City of San Diego reached 93 degrees. There won’t be much relief on the beaches, as Coronado’s forecasted high on Saturday is 83 degrees.

Heat records set in San Diego and around the world

Red-hot temperatures are a worldwide trend, including in the San Diego region. The National Weather Service reports 53 of the last 56 months have been hotter than normal at the official weather station at Lindbergh Field.

San Diego's temperatures show an upward trend overall.

San Diego’s temperatures show an upward trend overall.

All time heat records have already been set this week from Denver to Tbilisi, Georgia. Record heat is to blame for at least 33 deaths in and around Montreal, Quebec.

Whether or not the San Diego region will break its record high temperatures of 2017 this year, it is important for residents to use WaterSmart practices which help you use water resources efficiently during the peak water-use months.

The San Diego County Water Authority offers several tips for making the most of the region’s water supplies. They include:

  1. Check your landscaping’s irrigation system

Inspect irrigation equipment to eliminate overspray. Monitor soil moisture using a spade or soil probe, and only water if the top inch of soil is dry. Irrigate turf if it doesn’t spring back when stepped on. Better yet, upgrade to a “smart” irrigation controller that automatically adjusts water times based on weather conditions. Rebates on irrigation equipment are at WaterSmartSD.org.

  1. Water your mature trees correctly

Water mature trees like this mesquite tree slowly and deep into its roots. Photo: Water Authority Use water resources efficiently

Water mature trees like this mesquite tree slowly and deep into its roots. Photo: Water Authority

Irrigate mature trees once or twice a month using a soaker hose or drip system toward the edge of the tree canopy – not at the base of the tree. Use a hose faucet timer (found at hardware stores) to prevent overwatering. Young trees need more frequent irrigation; consult an arborist or tree-care manual for details.

  1. Refresh your compost and mulch

Keeping a 3-inch layer of mulch around trees and plants reduces runoff, helps control weeds and protects soil from direct sunlight and evaporation. Keep mulch at least a foot away from tree trunks and several inches from the crowns of plants. Also, add compost to increase soil nutrients.

  1. Refrigerate drinking water

Your lorikeet can get its drinking water this way. You should fill your reusable water bottles and chill them in the refrigerator for your cold drinking water. Photo Wade Tregaskis - Creative Commonsn License

Your lorikeet can get its drinking water this way. You should fill your reusable water bottles and chill them in the refrigerator for your cold drinking water. Photo Wade Tregaskis – Creative Commons License

Keep drinking water cool in your refrigerator to avoid running the tap. Use refillable water bottles instead of buying disposable plastic bottles.

  1. Put a lid on it

Pool and spa covers reduce evaporation, lower pool heating costs and keeping out dirt and debris.

  1. Take a gardening break from the heat

New plants need more water to get established, so wait until fall or winter for planting to take advantage of cooler temperatures and rainfall.

  1. Watch the grass grow

Let your grass grow longer in the summer. Photo: PhotoMix - Creative Commons License using water resources efficiently

Let your grass grow longer in the summer. Photo: PhotoMix – Creative Commons License

Set your mower to leave grass at least three inches high, because taller blades of grass can reduce evaporation up to 80 percent and protect your roots from heat. And don’t water during the hottest part of the day. The ground can be so hot, roots may literally cook themselves in hot irrigation water.

  1. Treat your vehicles to an efficient car wash

Patronize car washes that recycle water and save at least 15 gallons each time. When washing at home, use a hose nozzle that shuts off when you release the handle.

  1. Rinse your produce the right way

Rinse your fresh fruits and vegetables in a bowl, then use the water on your indoor plants. Photo: McBeth, Creative Commons License Use water resources efficiently

Rinse your fresh fruits and vegetables in a bowl, then use the water on your indoor plants. Photo: McBeth, Creative Commons License

Wash fruits and vegetables in a bowl of water instead of under a running water tap. Use the bowl of water afterward to water your house plants or outdoor container plants.

  1. Go to summer school

Learn more tips and best practices on how residents and businesses can use water most efficiently, including WaterSmart Landscaping Videos on Demand from the comfort of your beach chair or sofa, plus information on rebates, classes and other water-saving resources to help you keep your cool on your water use this summer at WaterSmartSD.org

 

 

A Dangerous Heat Wave Threatens Millions Of People In California And The Southwest

/in , /by /CNNby Nicole Chavez

A dangerous heat wave is expected to grip California and parts of the southwest Friday and into the weekend, threatening millions of people and likely fueling existing wildfires. More than 25 million people are under excessive heat watches, warnings or advisories, including in Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas, and Phoenix metro areas. The scorching heat will bring triple-digit temperatures to Los Angeles, where the mercury is forecast to reach 105 degrees on Friday and 100 on Saturday, CNN meteorologist Haley Brink said. Over a dozen record highs are forecast to be broken Friday afternoon across California.

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Southern California Sets All-Time Heat Records As Broiling Conditions Bring Misery

/in , /by /Los Angeles TImesby Ruben Vives, Victoria Kim and Sarah Parvini

Many parts of Southern California hit new high-temperature marks Friday, with a few spots reaching the hottest readings ever recorded. Among the places that set all-time records were Van Nuys Airport (117 degrees), Burbank Airport (114), Santa Ana (114) and Ramona (115), according to the National Weather Service. Riverside tied its all-time high temperature of 118. Downtown Los Angeles hit a new high for the day, at 108. Long Beach Airport hit 108 and Woodland Hills, 118. The heat wave will continue this weekend, but forecasters said Friday marked the peak.

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All-Time High Temperature Records Set Throughout Southern California, Including Los Angeles

/in , /by /The Washington Postby Jason Samenow

As predicted, new daily, monthly and all-time record highs were set throughout Southern California on Friday because of a monster heat dome sprawled over the region. The temperature at UCLA soared to 111 degrees, the hottest ever recorded there, surpassing the previous record of 109 degrees, set Sept. 20, 1939, the National Weather Service reported. Records at UCLA date back to 1933. While the temperature at UCLA set an all-time record, the high in downtown Los Angeles, 108 degrees, fell short of its all-time mark of 113 from September 2010. Still, the 108-degree reading crushed the July 6 daily record of 94, set in 1992.

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Southern California’s Heat Wave Puts The Power Grid Under Pressure

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Rob Nikolewski and Ethan Millman

Summer’s first heat wave has Southern California utility officials and managers of the state’s electric grid working to make sure the power system doesn’t wilt. A high-pressure system is forecast to send temperatures as high as 118 in areas of Riverside County, and parts of the coast could hit 100 degrees this weekend. Cooler temperatures aren’t expected to return until the middle of next week.

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Temperatures To Surpass 100 Degrees During Weekend Heatwave

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Gary Robbins

The mass of hot, humid air that produced oppressive weather earlier this week in New England, the Midwest and the Rockies was flowing into Southern California on Thursday, where it will generate the first major heat wave of summer in one of the driest regions of the country. The heat wave will peak on Friday when temperatures reach117 in Ocotillo Wells, 114 in Anza Borrego State Park, 113 in Valley Center, 111 in Santee and Ramona, 109 in Campo, 105 in Escondido, 99 in Julian and 87 on Coronado, according to the National Weather Service.

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Heat Wave To Hit San Diego Late This Week

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Gary Robbins

A classic summer heat wave will develop in San Diego County on Friday and Saturday with temperatures hitting 80 degrees at-or-near the coast and the upper 90s and low 100s across inland valleys, says the National Weather Service. “The week will start out mild, with temperatures going up a degree or two each day,” said James Brotherton, a weather service forecaster. “The big warmup will come right after the Fourth of July, with Friday and Saturday being the warmest days.”

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May Smashes Temperature Records In U.S.

/in , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Seth Borenstein

Record heat returned to the United States with a vengeance in May. May warmed to a record average 65.4 degrees in the Lower 48 states, breaking the high of 64.7 set in 1934, according to federal weather figures released Wednesday. May was 5.2 degrees above the 20th century’s average for the month. Weather stations in the nation broke or tied nearly 8,600 daily heat records in May, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported. It hit 100 in Minneapolis on May 28, the earliest the city has seen triple digits. “The warmth was coast-to-coast,” said climate scientist Jake Crouch at NOAA’s Centers for Environmental Information.

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Cool May Breaks San Diego’s Long Warm Spell

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Robert Krier

San Diego’s warm spell is broken. When the clock struck midnight on Thursday, a 54-month run without a cooler-than-normal month ended. The last time a month was cooler than normal in town was October 2013 — 4½ years ago. It was a remarkable, rare run of warmth. There have been other extended warm spells in the city’s past, most notably in the early 1980s, but none were quite like the one that just ended. What caused the extended warm spell, and what does it mean?

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Southwest Drought Worsens As Hot June Weather Arrives

/in , /by /The Weather Network

June is here and the heat is on across many areas of the southern U.S., including the Four Corner states. Despite some recent precipitation, which helped lower drought numbers in some counties, overall conditions continue to intensify and expand. Rivers and watering holes across different areas of Utah, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico are drying up, forcing the closure of popular mountain recreation areas. Water restrictions are becoming the norm across the region.

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