Plus, a healthcare merger and San Diego's population growth
 
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Today’s Forecast

62º | Sunny | 0% chance of rain | Sunrise 6:52 a.m. | Sunset 4:59 p.m. | High tides 6:25 a.m. and 8:27 p.m. | Low tide 1:53 p.m.
 

Important Message
Season’s greetings, San Diego. We’ll be out of office until the New Year to spend time with our loved ones. Until then, we’re pausing our newsletter sends and reducing our social posts. We’ll see you in your inboxes at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024. 👋

⛄️ The cold truth

San Diego’s snowy history — and some AI imagination
An AI-generated image of the San Diego Skyline with snow
We had to ask AI what a snowy San Diego skyline would look like. | Created via Canva AI Image Generator
Dreaming of a white Christmas? San Diegans are very unlikely to wake up to a snowy surprise. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) estimates a 0% chance of the city seeing snow on the holiday — and the National Weather Service forecasts warm, dry temps.

It would take a Christmas miracle to even see a flake this year, but the idea of San Diego County getting snow isn’t too far-fetched. Mountain communities and areas with an elevation above 3,000 ft usually accumulate some snowfall annually. However, longtime San Diegans will remember a few times where it snowed at lower elevation.

Children having a snowball fight during the snow storm in 1967 in San Diego.

Yes, this is San Diego — this pic was taken in 1967.

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Photo via San Diego City Clerk Archives

There are only three “official” instances of snow in the City of San Diego, according to NOAA records.
  • Jan. 14, 1882 — Snowflakes fell in San Diego, but there was measurable snowfall in areas like Del Mar, Poway, and El Cajon Valley.
  • Jan. 10 + Jan. 11, 1949 — A snowy mix was recorded at Lindbergh Field; this is the only instance of two consecutive days with snowfall. This storm had greater impacts on other parts of Southern California, like Los Angeles and San Bernardino.
  • Dec. 13, 1967 — Measurable snow was on the ground, enough that locals could make snowmen and have snowball fights.
SD San Diego History Center 1949 snow Civic Center

This snapshot shows the Civic Center parking lot at 1600 Pacific Highway with snow on the ground in 1949, although by now, it was more like slush.

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Photo via San Diego History Center

This doesn’t mean there haven’t been other snowy reports, but they weren’t recognized by NOAA’s records. The most recent sighting within city limits was in 1990, but it wasn’t recorded at a weather tower. Flurries were also rumored to have appeared in inland valleys in 2008.
Events
Friday, Dec. 22
  • San Diego Gulls vs. Rockford IceHogs | Friday, Dec. 22 | 7 p.m. | Pechanga Arena, 3500 Sports Arena Blvd., San Diego | $22+ | The local AHL team faces their opponents from Illinois.
  • “Every Day Vanilla” | Through Friday, Dec. 29 | 7-9 p.m. | MOXIE Theatre, 6663 El Cajon Blvd., Ste. N, San Diego | $19-$75 | This coming-of-age story by Lani Gobaleza follows a queer, Filipina girl as she learns to love her hometown of San Diego.
  • Shrek Rave | Friday, Dec. 22 | 9 p.m. | House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave., San Diego | $32-$87 | This dance party is inspired by everyone’s favorite green ogre.
Saturday, Dec. 23
  • Cheezy Sweater Party | Saturday, Dec. 23 | 6 p.m. | My Yard Live Beer Co. , 288 Rancheros Dr., San Marcos | Free | Wear your cheesy holiday sweater and listen to The Cheez Whiz Band perform classics from the 1980s and 1990s.
  • Stayin’ Alive | Saturday, Dec. 23 | 9 p.m. | The Music Box, 1337 India St., San Diego | $20-$25 | Hustle over to this disco dance party at the Little Italy venue.
Sunday, Dec. 24
  • Feast of The Seven Fishes | Sunday, Dec. 24 | 4-10 p.m. | Garibaldi, 901 Bayfront Court, Ste. 1, San Diego | $105 | Get a taste of this Italian Christmas Eve tradition with dishes centered around sustainable seafood.
Monday, Dec. 25
  • Christmas Day Dining Cruise | Monday, Dec. 25 | 12:30-3 p.m. | Flagship Cruises & Events, 990 N. Harbor Dr., San Diego | $95 | Celebrate the holiday with dinner and views of San Diego Bay.
Tuesday, Dec. 26
  • 43rd Annual Kwanzaa Celebration | Tuesday, Dec. 26-Friday, Dec. 29 | 6:30-9 p.m. | World Beat Cultural Center, 2100 Park Blvd., San Diego | Free | Observe the seven principles of Kwanzaa with speakers, art, the Karamu feast, music, and a performance of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”
Wednesday, Dec. 27
  • Port of San Diego Holiday Bowl Parade | Wednesday, Dec. 27 | 10 a.m. | North Harbor Drive, San Diego | Free | The year-end tradition returns with magnificent floats, marching bands, drill teams, and merry energy along the downtown waterfront.
  • 2023 DIRECTV Holiday Bowl | Wednesday, Dec. 27 | 5 p.m. | Petco Park, 100 Park Blvd., San Diego | $52+ | The downtown ballpark has been transformed into a football field for the 44th annual game matching the top teams from the Pac-12 and ACC; it’ll be televised on Fox, too.
Events calendar here
Click here to have your event featured.
 
Shop

Seasonal

4 last-minute holiday gifts
The red and blue Nintendo Switch console.
Get two-day shipping on a Nintendo Switch. | Photo via Amazon
Not quite done holiday shopping? No judgment here. Browse digital gifts and gifts that, last we checked, ship in two days with Prime.

For college students: A Prime Student membership. They’ll get discounts on college essentials + free Grubhub delivery.

For family members: A Nintendo Switch. You can play games fun for the whole family, like Super Mario Bros. Wonder.

For “Star Wars” fans: A stormtrooper shaver.

For kids (or busy parents): An Owala kids bottle.
More last-minute gifts this way
News Notes
Weather
  • Expect the possibility of rain today while a Flood Watch remains in effect through 10 p.m. for San Diego County mountains, deserts, and valleys. Then, dream of a dry Christmas — expect temps in the 60s and mostly sunny skies for Christmas Eve and Monday, Dec. 25. (National Weather Service)
Health
  • Rady Children’s Hospital announced its intent to merge with Children’s Hospital of Orange County, potentially rebranding as “Rady Children’s Health.” The organizations believe the merger would help train and recruit staff and expand access to pediatric care. The deal is pending approval from the state attorney general. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Civic
  • San Diego County has hired Paul A. Rodriguez as its new public defender, a role that will help people in state court receive rigorous defense if they cannot afford private counsel. Prior to this, Rodriguez served as El Cajon branch supervisor and was noted for his transparency in leadership.
Closing
  • The Ocean Beach Playhouse will be closing, citing high rent costs as the determining factor. The production of “Rent” this Saturday, Dec. 23, is the venue’s final show. The playhouse’s operator, Wildsong Production, is raising money so it can open a new, permanent space. (CBS 8)
Number
  • 152,075. That’s how many people are expected to be added to San Diego County’s population by 2042 — bringing the total to 3.4 million locals. San Diego Association of Governments anticipates this will be the county’s peak, and the population will decline to 3.3 million by 2060. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Ranked
Featured
  • San Diego is a top travel destination for 2024, according to AFAR. The publication highlighted 25 of the most exciting places in the world to visit next year, and San Diego/Tijuana was featured at No. 19. The cross-border collaboration was noted for its culture, architecture, and landmarks. (AFAR)
Community
  • Well, this is officially our last News Note of 2023. Thank you to our SDtoday community for staying connected with us this year. If you want to support us in 2024, consider becoming a member — you’ll support us directly and keep these newsletters coming. Until next year, folks.
 
Holiday

⛲️ 2023, how you doin’?

Every month in 2023 written as a ‘Friends’ episode title
The Bea Evenson Fountain in Balboa Park
Something about “Friends” makes us want to dance next to a fountain. | Photo by Michael Beausoleil + SDtoday
Imagine your life was a sitcom, and each month was an episode.

We did just that, and since we’re all friends here, we thought we’d recap 2023 in the style of “Friends” episode titles. This means we’ve defined each month by “the one” distinguishing thing or moment, as if we were going to tell a story to one of our close pals.
  • January: “The one that waved in 2023"
  • February: “The one with the blizzard warning”
  • March: “The one with the dream team”
  • April: “The one where SDSU almost won”
  • May: “The one with the 10-ft ball”
  • June: “The one with the red panda cub”
  • July: “The one with the comics-centric Comic-Con”
  • August: “The one where Hilary stopped by”
  • September: “The one with Serra Mesa pride”
  • October: “The one with the podcast”
  • November: “The one where the Board of Supervisors made history”
  • December: “The one with all the lights”
Read the episode synopses
The Buy
 
This versatile wristlet from Avryn Co. that’s crafted with top-grade leather — because you’ve probably been buying for others this holiday season, and you deserve something nice too.
 
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The Wrap
 
Michael Beausoleil

Today’s edition by:
Michael
From the editor
Good morning San Diego, and happy holidays. This is SDtoday’s last newsletter of the year, but don’t worry, we’ll be back in 2024. It’s been such an honor to write about San Diego this year, and I love being able to share positive news and discover interesting information about SD.

Until we return next year, make sure to check out our Instagram — we’ll be posting some fun things there next week.
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