Hottest January on Record

High pressure has made history of our just-passed January of '09 as the warmest January on record, dating back to 1877 in Hell-A when they started keeping track.

In Laguna, McWeather's records only go back as far as October 1957, but I'm sure that a good chunk of all reporting stations in the southern California coastal strip - from, say, Point Conception to the Mexifornia border (some of the older towns in this county) - have been keeping records forever. Like Santa Ana, Fullerton or the likes thereof - all their records are similar - warmest January for sure, by far. We're talking coastal strip exclusively, here. That's shoreline to the base of all coastal ranges, varying from 30 to 60 miles' distance from said points.

The normal maximum for January in Laguna is 65.3 degrees. The normal minimum is 42.8 degrees (though it's 34.7 degrees in the canyon - a whole different micro-climate in itself). So Laguna ends up with a 74.4-degree average for the month, thanks to a run of 80-degree plus days that are still on a roll here on into February!

The second warmest January was 1986, but it was far behind this January's record of 74.4 degrees. They finished at a distant 71.8 degrees. January of '71 was in third place, boasting the hottest January maximum of 90 degrees in Laguna - the only 90-degree day ever in January - on Jan. 16 that year (and it was 95 degrees in L.A. on the same date).

We're closing in fast on winter's midway point. This Thursday, Feb. 5, is day 45, with 45 to go. Up to this point, it's been the flattest half winter by far on record with only two days of five-foot surf or bigger, three days of three- to five-foot surf and 40 days of under three-foot surf.

The same huge, sturdy high pressure ridge over the southwestern and eastern Pacific has fended off most incoming swell-producing lows and kept them from even thinking about trying to bully their way through California. Once that big 'ol high gets settled in over the Great Basin he ain't goin' nowhere for a while. That's why we got a paltry third of an inch of rain this January. That skimpy amount put us behind the curve for the fourth consecutive season. The Sierra snow pack is at 50 to 55 percent of normal so far. Not a good thing. Water rationing plans for summer are even in the works as we speak.

Seems like everything's in a real rough state. Everybody's goin' "I know s—t happens, but it's flowin'!" I mean there's no power in three or four states 'til mid-month. Plus the economy - man, they're gangin' up on us!

And here we sit in our wealthy little bubble, pissin' and moanin' cause the temp was only 65 degrees, and foggy, on the beach. We should really count our blessings hourly, or at least daily!

Today, Feb. 2, marks the fourth anniversary of the Great Rains of Jan. 21 to Feb. 2, 1969. In that 12-day span, 18.81 inches of rain splashed dwon on Laguna - and that's just Laguna. There were reports of 40 to 50 inches in the inland foothills and Santa Ana Mountains.

This incredible run of storms was all about the Pineapple Express - very tropical and moist and warm. And they came in tfrom the south and southwest - perfect alignment for classic "orographic" conditions. Those moisture-laden nimbostratus would unload so much rain on those ocean-facing coastal slopes (1,000 feet to 5,687 feet, the highest point in Orange County), that they were getting up to six to eight inches a day out in the Ortegas, uprooting 400-yearold oak trees and emptying all the way to the mouths of San Mateo Creek to the south at Upper Trestle, and San Juan Creek to the north, near Doheny.

And don't forget Aliso Creek - you know it connects upstream to San Deguito Creek, which connects to San Juan Creek, which connects to San Mateo Creek, which connects with Cristiantos Creek at the base of Saddleback, which got 40 to 50 inches! There was so much sediment at Aliso that it created a temporary heavy sandbar break that extended all the way out to the end of the pier that used to be there.

For about two weeks in March of '69 that resembled a mini Puerto Escondido. A young Dougie Brown and Mike Armstrong, and others of the 70s Pipeline Underground crew, with Mike Latronic and Brian Bulkley, were getting so barreled it was sick! And all the rainwater was pre-development, so it was only cattle poop to contend with!

And South Doheny at San Juan Creek river mouth became a sediment Point Malibu wave that peeled forever - as good as Malibu!

And last, but not least, Mammoth had its heaviest snowfall season ever - a record that stood until 2006-7, when they got 637 inches (in '69 they got 520 inches)!

Okay, I gotta get outa here - Casey's gotta close!

See ya next week!

Dennis McTighe is serious about the weather! While serving in the US Air Force, he was Meteorologist 61st MAW, Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii from 1969-1972. He has a B.S. in earth sciences from UC San Diego and told us, "I even pulled off a 3.7 GPA back when I still had an attention span." Dennis was a NOAA forecaster from 1979 until November, 1993 - Reported weather and surf and ski conditions on KSBR from '86-'91 - Had a weekly science/ weather segment on Terry Neptune's "Hello Laguna" and has kept a personal daily weather diary everyday since 1957.