August: Weather Watching, Meteor Showers, Nights Under the Stars Highlight the Waining Days of Summer
By Clinton S. Powell, Naturalist

August is the beginning of our Chubasco season. Chubasco is the name given by our neighbors to the south for tropical rain.

Huge, towering white cauliflower clouds rise up over our mountains. Mt. Laguna receives this first crop of clouds, then the rain. Thunder that pops, cracks, rumbles and tears so loud nothing else can be heard is one of the distinctive features of these Chubascos.

Lightning rips through the sky, horizontally, vertically, in all directions. Then the rains hit, sometimes a drizzle, sometimes an instantaneous flooding from the dark sky.

Then the fragrance: Nothing compares to the vanilla-sweet fragrance of hot, wet Jeffrey pines. And in locations with great basin sagebrush, the aroma takes you right back to Yellowstone.

August thunderstorms are what memories are made of and ones that linger throughout you life. An average of 0.70 inches falls in August, but be prepared for the wonder years when 3 inches to 4 inches can occur.

This August weather is compiled from the Weather Channel.

The Heat's On

The average August high temperature is 82 degree to 86 degrees, the average low is 53 degrees to 55 degrees.

The record high for August 110 degrees. On four different dates, the temperature was 100 degrees or higher. I don't know where this temperature is taken; perhaps it's best not to know.

Personally, the highest temperature I've recorded is 104 degrees. Also, the record low temperature is another stunner: 33 degrees.

This takes a huge toll on our gardens. A change of over 40 degrees from morning until noon is tough on anything growing, but the 60 degree plus difference puts everything in a state of shock.

I'm sure all of us are humbled by these extremes. Many people will find these recordings unbelievable, others will say, "its only weather."

August rainfall for Julian is 0.93 inches. The average rainfall for Lake Cuyamaca is 1.15 inches. Since 1887, 29 years of no rain was recorded at the lake. That's humbling. At Lake Henshaw, rainfall average is 0.66 inches. Since 1911, when the lake was built, 43 years no rain was recorded.

Wedged in between recordings were two months in August with over 4.40 inches of rain.

So read and weep. This is Southern California and anything can and will occur.

Weather Watching

Lake Henshaw has one of the most spectacular settings for observing weather. With thousands of acres in meadows, the long flat vistas are unbeatable.

Hot Springs Peak, northeast of Warner Springs Ranch rises up to 6,552 feet, and is the highest point in San Diego County.

Palomar Mountain frames the north view of Lake Henshaw and the barren, rocky ridge rising out of Warner Hot Springs frames the lake in spectacular scenery.

One of the most effective and economical ways to keep your house cool is a swamp cooler. I realize the word swamp does not sound anywhere near positive, but trust me, these machines work.

I do believe that the great month of August is made for youngsters. Children seem to get the most out of any summer month.

Swimming hour after hour in a nearby pond or in a swimming pool is truly a delight. These scamps seem to have their thermostat set at about 20 degrees lower than adults.

I believe the same thermostat reading also applies to puppies. It amazes me how children and puppies thrive in the summer heat.

Well, you must understand that these lovers of summer are unencumbered with the daily responsibility of working out in the hot sun.

After choking down these August recordings, let's move on to something that signals a positive pulse for this mountain community.

The basic concept of surviving these August days is the wonders of the nights and mornings.

August's Delight

I've not figured out the lifecycle of mosquitoes. I do know that sleeping outside in spring is just not possible. But somewhere in the cycle of summer, the mosquitoes finally die off. I do enjoy the constellations, the Milky Way and all of the night sky is a true delight. I just find that looking deep into the dark sky with stars and planets thrilling, but I find that I cannot keep awake; perhaps I drift off too fast.

The biggest delight of the August night is the Persid meteor shower. On good years 50-70 meteors will be seen in an hour. This occurs on Aug. 12 and 13.

I wake up early naturally, but all meteor showers rip the sky apart at 4 a.m., so be sure you have an alarm clock if you want to see the summer shower of all.

August contains joys, both sweet and sorrow. Find what delights you this month and don't let it go.