The United States suffered through some weather extremes this week.

On Wednesday, slow-moving Tropical Storm Tammy, the 19th named storm of the hurricane season, crossed into north Florida with high winds and torrential rains. Some areas of coastal Georgia and South Carolina got more than five inches of a rain in a few hours, causing flash flooding.

At about the same time Tammy was visiting Florida, the season's first blizzard - that's right, blizzard, as in howling winds and driving snow - raged across Montana, the Dakotas and Wyoming. Winds of 50 mph pushed as much as two feet of snow onto highways, shutting down traffic.

The folks in Florida are used to October hurricanes, but those people in Montana, the Dakotas and Wyoming were taken aback by what many said was the earliest blizzard in memory.

Not to be outdone by tropical storms and freak blizzards, the Central Coast was having its own little weather event this week, in the form of abnormally hot temperatures and high winds. The high that's usually 70ish in Santa Maria was 89, Lompocans baked in near-90-degree temperatures, while in usually chilly Santa Barbara, residents had to contend with 87 degrees and drops of perspiration spoiling their double non-fat lattes.

October is a quirky month on the Central Coast. One day you'll need a sweater or jacket to go outside. The next you'll need shorts and flip-flops.

October also is a dangerous month here. The hillsides are bone-dry, which makes them vulnerable to any spark or carelessly discarded cigarette. Hot winds whipping over dry landscape is a recipe for wildfire disaster, which is why county fire officials issued a red flag alert at mid-week.

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Local residents are urged to use extreme caution with any kind of equipment that involves a flame or that could spark. All it takes is a momentarily lapse of attention to ignite an inferno.

These conditions will occur off and on until we get our first significant rain. And that may be awhile.

October 7, 2005