Has this not been the most dismal and chilly May you can remember in the Bay Area, like, ever? It is in SFist's opinion. But some meteorological nerd today tells us, via the Examiner, that "May rainfall is infrequent but not that unusual and only seems so because of the last three drought years when winters were abnormally short and summers were longer." Also, he adds a no-brainer: "The El Niño effect has had some influence on the late spring rains." [itals ours] more ›

clipper ship. A pirate ship? A tragic capsizing? What's the word? more ›

A snowstorm hit Tahoe and other outlying areas today and while it's a huge pain for drivers up there, it's all good for ski resorts. So far this season has been far below the normal amount of rainfall and as a result, only a few resorts are open, mainly with man-made snow. That's why today's snowfall is a big help. In fact, many of the resorts are saying they're going to be able to open up a few more runs over the weekend. more ›

more ›

So all this crazy weather recently-- the heat followed by fog, rain followed by sun, wind popping up out of nowhere-- Global Warming? Nope, it's El Nino. It looks like we're in the beginnings of another El Nino Winter. more ›

Well, at least Shirley Manson from Garbage is happy: it's still raining and we've got more rain predicted, off and on, for the next two weeks. Thanks to the persistent rain, newscasters have now gone back to ominously intoning "MUDSLIDES," just like they did in 1998 with El Nino. Highway 1 will be closed for about a week at Devil's Slide (south of Pacifica) due to mud and boulders blocking the road, Caltrans had to clear Highway 9, the road to Muir Woods is blocked, and Highway 17 was just reopened after two morning mudslides. In non-road-related rain news, a house outside Daly City is sliding down a hill, and other residents in the neighborhood have been evacuated. A house is also sliding off its foundation in San Mateo, an Aptos house's retaining wall failed, and houses in Marin and Contra Costa are starting to get a little wobbly too. There's also a levee breach in Menlo Park, but people don't think it's that big of a deal yet. It's April! It's not supposed to rain in the Bay Area in April! more ›

It just keeps raining and raining and raining -- and we all know what rain brings: besides lovely May flowers and extended flight delays, rain in San Francisco means.... ants. When their dirt nests get washed out, they come pouring up out of the earth and into your kitchen and bathrooms. Aaaaaagh! We hate ants! During the 1998 El Nino, when we lived in a basement apartment, our bathroom looked like it had been tiled in black, that's how many ants there were. When we complained to the landlords, they shrugged and said, "all of San Francisco is an anthill." Others complained about finding ants that had climbed into the refrigerator water supply and frozen into the ice cubes, and a guy in the Marina turned on his shower and saw ants falling out. Ewwwwwww! If you've got ant problems, the best insecticide is boric acid with a little sugar, or you can try and seal off their entry points in your house with caulk. Or detergent. Meanwhile, stop by the Cal Academy of Science's ants exhibit to learn more/be grossed out beyond belief. more ›

Don't put away those unattractive waterproof shoes just yet -- more rain is expected to hit the area starting around tonight. more ›