Sacramento Digs Gardening: After 175 days, parts of Sacramento break dry spell

The plant equivalent of a rain-spotted windshield: Just enough rain fell to mess up

this lime tree's leaves but not enough to clean them. (Photos: Kathy Morrison)

Our “September surprise” caused a bit of a splash.

For the first time in nearly six months, parts of Sacramento got (sort of) wet. Starting late Thursday night, thunderstorms provided our first measurable precipitation (at least in some parts of Sacramento) since the final days of this past winter.

According to the National Weather Service, this dry spell was nearly historic.

“The last time measurable rain at Downtown Sac was 175 days ago on Mar 19, 2021,” the weather service tweeted Friday. “With a near-continuous period of record going back to the 1870s, this is the second longest dry streak on record. The longest streak was 194 days occurring May 13, 1880 to Nov. 22, 1880.”

In other words, this has been the longest Sacramento dry spell in 141 years!

But wait! Although there was measurable rain (0.05 inches) at Sacramento Executive Airport, Downtown Sacramento’s rain monitors stayed dry.

“Downtown Sacramento rain gauge reported 0.00" of rain today,” tweeted the weather service Friday afternoon. “NWS employees went on-site (to) verify it was recording properly. Upon further review, we can confirm that no rain fell. While there was light rain at Sac Exec, the rain-free streak at Sac Downtown continues.”

A puddle remained on solarizing plastic Friday afternoon after

a spotty rain late Thursday and early Friday.

How rare is September rain? Historically, Sacramento averages 0.29 inches in September, but almost always that rain falls near the end of the month. October, which averages nearly an inch of rain, starts our official “rain year” and traditional rainy season.

So, even though it looked like rain, felt like rain (and sure sounded like a thunderstorm), Sacramento’s second longest dry spell will stretch a while longer. It’s possible that we may still break the all-time record. We’ll hit that 194-day mark on Sept. 29.

GENERAL GARDENING

An article about gardening.

Keywords:

rain season unusual weather gardening Sacramento National Weather Service drought gardening history rainfall weather

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Garden Checklist for week of Nov. 3

November still offers good weather for fall planting:

* If you haven't already, it's time to clean up the remains of summer. Pull faded annuals and vegetables. Prune dead or broken branches from trees.

* Now is the best time to plant most trees and shrubs. This gives them plenty of time for root development before spring growth. They also benefit from fall and winter rains.

* Set out cool-weather annuals such as pansies and snapdragons.

* Lettuce, cabbage and broccoli also can be planted now.

* Plant garlic and onions.

* Keep planting bulbs to spread out your spring bloom. Some possible suggestions: daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, tulips, anemones and scillas.

* This is also a good time to seed wildflowers and plant such spring bloomers as sweet pea, sweet alyssum and bachelor buttons.

* Rake and compost leaves, but dispose of any diseased plant material. For example, if peach and nectarine trees showed signs of leaf curl this year, clean up under trees and dispose of those leaves instead of composting.

* Save dry stalks and seedpods from poppies and coneflowers for fall bouquets and holiday decorating.

* For holiday blooms indoors, plant paperwhite narcissus bulbs now. Fill a shallow bowl or dish with 2 inches of rocks or pebbles. Place bulbs in the dish with the root end nestled in the rocks. Add water until it just touches the bottom of the bulbs. Place the dish in a sunny window. Add water as needed.

* Give your azaleas, gardenias and camellias a boost with chelated iron.

* For larger blooms, pinch off some camellia buds.

* Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs while dormant.

* To help prevent leaf curl, apply a copper fungicide spray to peach and nectarine trees after they lose their leaves this month. Leaf curl, which shows up in the spring, is caused by a fungus that winters as spores on the limbs and around the tree in fallen leaves. Sprays are most effective now.

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