Originally, I started this blog to write about weather photography.  That was last fall, when our weather was getting interesting.  Now as August  2010 approaches, I’m wondering if our SR temperature will ever reach 85 degrees. Or, if the persistent layer of stratus (2500 feet deep this morning) will ever be mixed out enough to have an honest to goodness heat wave around here.

While Sonoma County has been struggling to meet the mid-70’s for most of July, summer is still going strong in the Central Valley where temperatures have been meeting or exceeding the century mark.  Redding will make it to 101 degrees today as an example. Get outside of the influence of our coastal intrusion if you want to experience some heat.  As one upper air trough moves to the east, another one moves right in behind it loitering off the California coast. Loitering troughs are not a good influence for warm weather.  This in turn deepens the marine layer with a stronger onshore push. As a result, low clouds envelop the coastal strip.

When the weather is this boring, It’s difficult to talk about or photograph it. Fog in the morning, fog in the evening. Wear a jacket while BBQ-ing.  Same ‘ol, same ‘ol.

Normally we begin summer with May gray and graduate to June gloom.  Now we have the July crud to add to the mid-year repertoire.

Some of you probably love this weather.  Heck, it’s pretty nice not to sweat all the time and strawberries love the cool runnings we’ve been having.  My tomatoes are almost seven feet tall, but the squash are just kind of puttering around.

As I look at the Monday morning weather models, the Climate Prediction Center is keeping a troughing pattern in the eight to 14 day forecast, predicting at or below average temperatures, putting this weather pattern on autopilot through the first week of August.  My family traveled south to Petaluma yesterday where it was a blistering 65 on the car thermometer.

Just wait.  When our kids go back to school on or near the 17th of August,  it will  probably be a 111 degrees.

Welcome to summer in the Bay Area.

I’ve been trying to photograph the full moon every month.  In June it was eclipsed by fog.  last night, with the stratus racing overhead, I managed eight frames of the peek-a-boo moon.

Sigh.

The full moon, Sunday July 18, 2010. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat)

-Kent Porter