Normally, the weather in the Central Valley has cooled by the end of October to the point that a sweatshirt is comfortable at Halloween. This year, I was bemused as mid-80's temperatures stubbornly persisted for weeks past the point when they normally yield to fall weather.
It's been a very hot summer. The Central Valley commonly has temperatures over 100F during the summer, but we had an unusually long, punishing stretch of heat. For about two weeks, the thermometer was at 100F+. It was all I could do to stay cool. It generally meant I scurried from air-conditioned building to the next air-conditioned building, or turn the AC in my car on full blast in an effort to clear the oven-like atmosphere. I hunkered indoors until at least 8 pm, when temperatures would approach the low 90's and things were bearable outside.
We had a few false hopes, such as a few weeks ago when we got a sprinkling of rain and temperatures dipped into the 60's. It was a sadly inadequate rain. It moistened maybe three inches of soil, but everything under that was powdery and dry. I know, because I was working outdoors digging trenches. Dirt boogers were everywhere.
Yesterday afternoon, the skies darkened and we finally, finally got a decent rain. Temperatures rapidly plummeted into the 40's, and perhaps lower during the night. I am currently snuggled up in fleece pants and a sweatshirt, and contemplating a fire in my wood stove. I hope that, at last, the summer has given way and we may have some relief.
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