The seasons are subtle in Southern California. Winter is cool and rainy, spring is cool and foggy, summer is warm and dry, and fall is when hot dry Santa Ana winds spark fire season. Today's forecast for inland San Diego County calls for temperatures near 100 degrees for the third day in a row. The humidity in my suburban town dipped to two percent yesterday, the weather service reported. It's the second such heatwave for San Diego this May. For days, unseasonal Santa Ana winds have littered the streets with palm fronds and spring leaves sucked dry of moisture. Eucalyptus trees have toppled into streets and structures. Usually this time of year, Californians are moaning about low-lying clouds - May gray and June gloom - and high temps in the 60s. But not this year. There was no rainy season and no fog. The weather has changed. We've skipped spring, plowed through summer and gone straight to fire season. And fire season is all we'll have unless/until the rains return months and months from now in November.
There are nine active wildfires this morning blowing across San Diego County. Dozens of homes in the coastal city of Carlsbad have burned. The fear and panic are palpable. The wind blows embers from place to place and there is no telling where the next fire will pop up. People want to gather their families together and protect their homes. San Diego-area school districts have shut their doors to thousands of children today. It is the third time since 2003 San Diego County has experienced devastating wildfires that shut down schools, closed highways and incinerated neighborhoods. My son, who graduates from high school in June, has seen 11 fire days in his school career. It never happened to his mother, who attended grade school, middle school and high school in San Diego. This is what climate change looks like.
12:44 PM PT: Several North San Diego County school districts have announced schools will be closed Friday. It's playoff season for high school spring sports throughout Southern California. The California Interscholastic Federation San Diego Section has called off all playoffs scheduled for Friday - baseball, softball, lacrosse, swimming, golf, tennis, etc. Advanced Placement (AP) tests are scheduled for Saturday, and they are in danger of being canceled too.