The unusually heavy rain that’s fallen across San Diego County is causing eye-catching flowers to sprout at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and might be a precursor to a superbloom.
The park, located 73 miles northeast of San Diego, averages less than 7 inches of rain over a one-year period. Anza Borrego has recorded 6 inches since August, partly because the summer monsoon produced a lot of precipitation. Storms have occurred on and off since then.
“Things are looking pretty darned green,” said Kirsten Dutcher, director of the desert research center that UC Irvine runs at the park. “We had a small fall bloom, which is unusual. If we continue to get winter rain, we could end up having a substantial bloom. Right now, there’s a lot of chinchweed and verbena.”
The term superbloom refers to a phenomenon in which huge numbers of wildflowers bloom simultaneously, creating a spectacular sight across the floor of deserts and other arid territories. Dutcher says the right combination of water, sun, winds and temperatures has to occur to produce one.
Anza-Borrego hasn’t had a major superbloom since 2019.