Nature, month by month

The Wild Calendar.

When the seal beach closes, when the whales go by, when the grunion run and when the falls are worth the hike. Plus a few local numbers worth knowing today.

The SB Index

Local numbers, refreshed every day.

  • 8

    days since it rained at the airport

    Last rain: 0.32" on Oct 22

    NWS · as of Oct 30

  • 1.01"

    of rain at the airport since Oct 1

    Ahead of the 0.65" normal by now

    NWS · through Oct 29

  • 73°F

    water at the channel buoy

    NOAA buoy 46053, off Santa Barbara

    NOAA · Oct 30

  • 83.5%

    full at Lake Cachuma

    161,083 of 192,978 acre-feet

    County Flood Control · Oct 30

  • 0

    cubic feet per second in Mission Creek below Seven Falls

    Our waterfall rule: 2 or more and the falls are likely running

    USGS · Oct 29

Gaviota to Carpinteria

What's out this month.

Seals, whales, monarchs, grunion, wildflowers and the rest, month by month. Tap a line for the rules and the source.

  1. January

  2. February

  3. March

  4. April

  5. May

  6. June

  7. July

  8. August

  9. September

    A quiet month on our list. Good time for a hike.

  10. OctoberThis month

  11. November

  12. December

Good to know

  • Seal beach closed Dec to May

    The beach below the Carpinteria harbor seal rookery is closed Dec 1 to May 31 for pupping season (city ordinance 470). Watch from the bluff on the Coastal Trail.

    Source: Carpinteria Seal Watch

  • Monarch counts Oct to Jan

    Volunteers count overwintering monarchs three times a season, including at the Ellwood grove in Goleta. This season's windows: Oct 17 to Nov 1, Nov 14 to Dec 6 (Thanksgiving) and Dec 26 to Jan 10 (New Year's). Ellwood Main's Thanksgiving count was 7,643 in 2023, 2 in 2024 and 1 in 2025. Stay on the trails.

    Source: Xerces Society Western Monarch Count

  • Gray whales Dec to May

    Gray whales migrate past the coast from December to May. The long-running ACS-LA census at Point Vicente counts from Dec 1 to late May. Island Packers posts daily sightings for the eastern Channel.

    Source: ACS-LA Gray Whale Census · Island Packers sightings

  • Grunion runs Mar to Aug

    Grunion spawn on sandy beaches on certain nights from March to August. CDFW posts the expected run times for Cabrillo Beach; Santa Barbara runs come about 25 minutes later. April through June is closed season: watch, don't touch. In open season, anyone 16 and up needs a fishing license, hands only, no digging holes, limit 30.

    Source: CDFW grunion page

  • Wildflowers Mar to May

    Spring wildflowers on Figueroa Mountain, March to May. The Theodore Payne Foundation's Wild Flower Hotline reports every week in that stretch, and we pass along the ones that cover our area.

    Source: Wild Flower Hotline

  • Gloom Meter May and JunOur rule of thumb

    From May 15 to June 21 we count gray days at the airport. A day is gray when the National Weather Service's daytime sky cover is 6/10 or more. Gray days in that stretch: 15 in 2021, 12 in 2022, 20 in 2024 and 15 in 2026.

    Source: NWS daily climate sheet for the airport

  • Jacarandas May and Jun

    The city's street jacarandas bloom from mid-May into June. There are 2,646 on the city's tree list, and our map shows every one.

    Source: Jacaranda Watch map

  • King tides Nov to Jan

    The highest tides of the year, in daylight. This winter: Nov 24 to 26, Dec 23 to 25 and Jan 21 and 22. Beaches get narrow, so check the tide before a walk. The California King Tides Project collects photos.

    Source: California Coastal Commission King Tides Project

  • Waterfalls Nov to AprOur rule of thumb

    Seven Falls and Tangerine Falls run after real rain and can fade to a trickle within weeks. Our rule of thumb, not a trail report: likely running when Mission Creek below Seven Falls flows 2 cubic feet per second or more, or after an inch of rain in a week. Tangerine has no stream gauge.

    Source: USGS Mission Creek gauge

Dates and rules were read on each linked source on October 30, 2026. Rules change, and the signs on site win.

A guessing game for June

The Gloom Pool.

Pick the day June Gloom finally breaks at the airport. The closest guess wins.

The rule: the first June day that starts two days in a row with 0/10 daytime sky cover at Santa Barbara Airport, on the National Weather Service's daily climate sheet. Anyone can check it. Downtown and the Mesa can clear on a different day, so we stick to the airport.

Guesses open Apr 15, 2027 and close May 31. Come back then.

Free, every Thursday

Nature news, when it happens.

The Thursday email flags grunion nights, king tides and running waterfalls the week they happen, and stays quiet when nothing's up.