In case you have not yet heard, California is in a drought and it is a bad one. The prime farming land is arid and the groundwater pumping is unregulated. Places in the Central Valley have dropped inches in a matter of months due to the stress on these water sources. However, there is hope for a strong El Nino this year. Water temperatures off of the coast are up seven degrees on average. This hope has grown stronger as scientists study the behavioral patterns of animals in the Pacific this summer.

Sightings of bobcats and mountain lions in populated areas are becoming common; avian flocks miles long have been sighted migrating in droves; uncommon numbers of whale sightings have been reported, and pods of dolphins and sea lions have been seen joining the race southward. Most shocking is the sighting of wildlife swimming out to see, such as the recent observation of a deer swimming into the ocean near the Kodiak archipelago.

The mass exodus of the local inhabitants is certainly a clue to weather patterns to come. For now we must wait and see what the winter has in store for us.