We bump along from summer, into late summer, into fall.
We hear the usual complaints about June, and July, and August: too cold! too cloudy! When’s it going to be summer?
Then we have a nice run of clear, warm, dry days. Clear evenings. Brilliant twilights, some crowded with unusual shoals of clouds. It’s never been more beautiful, ever.
Just for a change, it rains in September, and everyone thinks about when’s the last time that happened.
The days get shorter, and then overnight summer’s not lingering any more. It’s dark early at night, late in the morning. And cool suddenly–the heat’s going to kick on any day now.
October. One thought holds off the chill: We’re due for one more good run of hot, dry days, maybe windy ones, that will remind you of fire in the hills.
Those days might be a week or two away or could appear right on the edge of November. Just wait.
And while you look for signs the wind’s about to shift and start coming down warm from the ridges, something else happens. Someone breaks into that slow turn of autumn. Someone breaks the mood as only an official government forecaster can:
...WET AND WINDY WEATHER EXPECTED MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY... THE WEATHER PATTERN IS EXPECTED TO CHANGE ON MONDAY AS A POTENT STORM SYSTEM MOVES TO THE WEST COAST. THIS STORM SYSTEM IS THE REMNANT OF FORMER WESTERN PACIFIC TYPHOON MELOR. RAIN AND INCREASING WIND WILL BEGIN IN THE NORTH BAY MONDAY AFTERNOON...SPREADING SOUTH MONDAY NIGHT. TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT SHOULD SEE THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL AND THE STRONGEST WINDS. RAINFALL AMOUNTS COULD REACH 1 TO 3 INCHES ALONG THE COAST AND IN THE VALLEYS...WITH LOCAL AMOUNTS POSSIBLY REACHING 5 INCHES. IN THE HILLS...RAINFALL AMOUNTS WILL RANGE FROM 3 TO 6 INCHES...WITH LOCAL AMOUNTS UP TO 8 INCHES. AS OF NOW...THE HEAVIEST RAIN LOOKS TO BE IN THE SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS. WINDS TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT WILL INCREASE TO 20 TO 40 MPH ALONG THE COAST AND IN THE HILLS. GUSTS TO 60 MPH ARE POSSIBLE IN THOSE AREAS.
Rain? Wind? You could swear someone said "typhoon."