This is the Hot Read. In this column, you’ll find everything and anything I found interesting from the NFL Week 13 Sunday action. There’s the stuff that everyone’s talking about, and the stuff that nobody’s talking about; the stuff that makes football incredible, and the stuff that makes football fun. I hope you enjoy it and learn something cool—and if you do, I hope you’re back next week, when we do it all again.

The Big Thing: The Healthy 49ers Are the NFL’s Best Team

A lot happened this past NFL Sunday. If there’s one thing you need to know, it’s this.

Here are the best 10 offenses in football by expected points added per drive.

Nobody on this list is a big surprise. The 49ers, Cowboys, Dolphins, Bills, and Eagles fill out a clear first tier; the Lions, Rams, Chiefs, Ravens, and Chargers are in the second.

Now here’s the same graphic adjusted to remove Weeks 7 and 8 for the 49ers, when the team was without Deebo Samuel and Trent Williams.

This way, it looks far less like there’s a first tier and a second tier. It looks like there’s a lone leader.

Of course, this isn’t fair to everyone else. The Cowboys have had to play games without Tyron Smith and Tyler Smith, and the Dolphins without Terron Armstead, Robert Hunt, and De’Von Achane. Everyone deals with injuries.

But when the 49ers haven’t been dealing with injuries on offense, they’ve looked better than anyone else this season. In fact, they’re undefeated. They’ve won every game that both Samuel and Williams have started and finished. In Week 6, when they stumbled against the Browns, Samuel went down after just eight snaps; during Weeks 7 (at Minnesota) and 8 (against Cincinnati), both Samuel and Williams were out.

Those three games are the 49ers’ only losses on the season.

In each loss, they scored 17 points; in the nine full games that Samuel and Williams have both played, the 49ers have scored at least 30 points in all but one (in which they scored 27).

Again, I don’t want to give this treatment to just the 49ers. Plenty of teams have looked like juggernauts during stretches of this season. The Cowboys have scored at least 30 in each of their past four: 40 in three of those. The Eagles, before they ran into the 49ers, had won their last five against opponents such as the Dolphins, Cowboys, Chiefs, and Bills. But the 49ers played both of those teams and beat those teams by a combined score of 84-29. Nobody has felt more dominant, against bigger opponents, than this healthy Niners squad.

The Niners just present too many problems for opponents to solve. Every single player that might touch the ball for the 49ers is downright terrifying: Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo. Samuel leads all receivers in yards after catch per reception by over 1.5 yards per catch; Kittle is third among tight ends in YAC per reception, but he’s also third among tight ends in air yards per pass attempt—that’s not at all how that’s supposed to work. Aiyuk is top 20 among wideouts in both catch rate and air yards per target, which is—say it with me—not at all how that’s supposed to work.

When all of these guys are healthy, you just sit there as a defense and take it. There’s nothing else to do. Blow after blow, broken tackle after broken tackle, nifty motion into play-action fake into misdirection screen into actually, it’s a reverse. Also, you’ve just given up a third-down conversion to Jauan Jennings, and there goes Brock Purdy on a scramble. Are you with me? Do you need a minute? Can I get you a glass of water?

As fun as the 49ers offense has been when the plasma cannons have had a full charge, the season is far from over. San Francisco is still a game behind Philadelphia in the hunt for the no. 1 seed, and Detroit and Dallas remain in that mix. The 49ers have a rematch with the Seahawks next week and a huge Week 16 game against Baltimore coming ’round the mountain. They’re still likely to play the Eagles on the road, should they run into them again in the playoffs—and when they see the Eagles (or the Cowboys) again, they will see a motivated and embarrassed team with plenty of adjustments up its sleeves. The hay isn’t in the barn.

But this is the best 49ers offense we’ve seen in the Shanahan era, full stop. The prime Jimmy Garoppolo years had gaudy numbers, but defenses hadn’t caught up with the easy gimmicks yet. Defenses know the ins and outs of this system now, and it doesn’t matter. The 49ers don’t just have gimmicks; they have star talent at every position on offense, including a young quarterback who is improving every week on already impressive play. It’s tough to imagine anything stopping them except a terrible bounce on the merciless injury roulette wheel.

Is there any team you’d like to play less right now than the 49ers?

The Little Things

It’s the little things in football that matter the most—zany plays, small victories, and some laughs. Here’s where you can find them.

1. I DON’T KNOW what refereeing is

The state of NFL officiating deserves a much longer and more nuanced look than is possible in this column. Any take on refereeing given within 24 hours of a game (including this one) is unavoidably held prisoner by the moment and is not given with a sober mind. I will provide that sober take on some future day.

What in heaven’s name was going on at the end of Chiefs-Packers? The Patrick Mahomes unnecessary roughness call was made by an official far away from the play and thrown even though Mahomes was still in bounds at the time of the hit. It happened on the Chiefs sideline, and you don’t even see them call for a flag!

The next play was a called scoop ’n’ score overturned by review that also had a personal foul penalty that disqualified Isiah Pacheco, and I don’t even want to get into that. The play after that …

This league calls the silliest defensive pass interferences. Terrible underthrows in which the receiver makes no effort to catch the ball and only flounders through contact are rewarded with a spot foul. Uncatchable balls are routinely ignored. And this—a piggyback ride—went unflagged.

The subsequent plays included a clock stoppage when the receiver was moving backward on his way out of bounds (should have been a running clock) and a Hail Mary that had a defensive pass interference (though, to be fair, every Hail Mary does).

The Packers deserved this win. They’re 6-6, having knocked off the Lions and Chiefs in recent weeks. I think they’re going to the playoffs, and rightfully so.

But I don’t like watching games in which I have no idea how the officiating will go. As a regular gambler on football, I really don’t like it. The NFL is playing with real fire by letting the quality of officiating continue to deteriorate while also openly partnering with multiple U.S. sportsbooks.

Imagine an end-of-game sequence like this one in the AFC championship game with millions upon millions of dollars on the line. Spooky stuff.

Wait! Sorry, hang on. I just remembered. This was whistled dead for forward progress in Texans-Broncos?! Are you kidding me?!

OK. Done now.

2. ANDREW VAN GINKEL, up to the plate

I can’t imagine the average NFL fan is super dialed in on Van Ginkel right now, but he’s one of the most important players to watch over the next few weeks. Star Dolphins pass rusher Jaelan Phillips popped his Achilles against the Jets in heartbreaking fashion, and to fill those enormous shoes, Miami is relying heavily on Van Ginkel.

Van Ginkel has been almost exclusively a defensive lineman for most of his career, but under new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio this year, the Dolphins have experimented with playing him off the ball and in space. Against the Commanders, in the Dolphins’ first game without Phillips, Van Ginkel played no box snaps for only the fourth time this season, and he produced early, with a pick-six and what should have been recorded as a sack in the first half.

The Dolphins defense continues to be one of the best in the league now that it has the intricate Fangio system under its belt. If it can survive the Phillips injury, it’ll remain a force alongside that explosive offense come playoff time.

3. BEATING YOUR DIVISION RIVAL with the same play they almost beat you with

Late in the fourth quarter, the Tennessee Titans tied the game against the Indianapolis Colts with this Will Levis touchdown throw to DeAndre Hopkins.

The design on this throw is cool. The Titans are bluffing a typical pick route—the inside receiver runs to the flat, and the outside receiver runs the slant. The defensive backs accordingly switch responsibilities—but then Hopkins suddenly breaks back inside, and the outside corner is nowhere near close enough to affect the catch point. Excellent design.

The Titans would fail to take the lead when they missed the extra point, and this game would go to overtime. Down three and in need of a touchdown to win it, here’s the concept the Colts dialed up.

That look at all familiar?

4. THE CHARGES against those who willingly watched Jets-Falcons or Chargers-Patriots

Six months of community service and a $5,000 fine. I don’t care if you needed someone to have a great fantasy day to make the playoffs. You better have been born in New York, Atlanta, San Diego, or the greater New England area to have tuned in to these games.

If you or someone you know willingly watched these games, please reach out to me, and I will perform a citizen’s arrest.

The Zag: The College Football Playoff Committee Got It Right

I tend to be a little contrarian. It’s not so much a personal choice as it is an occupational hazard. Here’s where I’ll plant my flag.

OK, so this isn’t an NFL take. But the 2023-24 Selection Committee officially named the four teams for this year’s College Football Playoff, and everyone is furious, so here we go.

These are the four best teams in college football, according to the committee. That sentence was very carefully written, even though at first brush it looks banal. “Four best teams in college football,” is very different from “four most deserving teams in college football.”

The most deserving teams in college football are the teams that had the winningest seasons. Such teams include Washington and Michigan—undefeated power-conference champions who made this year’s playoff. But that designation would also include Florida State, the undefeated ACC champion who was left outside of the playoff.

Florida State was left out for a simple, obvious, and very painful reason: their starting quarterback, Jordan Travis, is out for the rest of the season with a devastating leg injury. Travis, who was squarely in the Heisman race, is one of the best quarterbacks in college football. He is far from the only NFL-caliber player on the Seminoles—WRs Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson; edge rusher Jared Verse; running back Trey Benson. But Travis plays the most important position on the field, and without him—or even backup Tate Rodemaker, who missed the ACC title game with a concussion—Florida State is not nearly as good of a team.

Were it the committee’s job to put the four most deserving teams into the playoff, they would have put Florida State in. But that’s not their job—and if that were the objective of the College Football Playoff, there would not be a committee at all. Rather, there would be an algorithm. All undefeated conference champions would get into the playoff, ranked by strength of schedule. Behind them, all one-loss conference champions would get in, ranked by head-to-head record and then by strength of schedule. It would not even be a little bit hard to do this.

Why, then, has college football adopted a closed-door committee to generate a heuristic ranking? Well, for one, it’s preferable that the best teams get in over the most deserving, because the playoff games will likely be better. For another, it acknowledges that football always comes back to watching the games and making your own judgments—for as many stats as I love to use, it’s a hard sport for stats to encapsulate. But much, much more importantly, is this: it creates debate.

It is unbelievably fun to be angry about things. Perilously so, in fact. It’s tempting to just hop on Twitter—err, X, I suppose—and do it all the time. The regionality and tribalism of college football have always hinged on that reality: that everyone should have at least some argument for their team, and accordingly convince themselves that everyone is out to get them, digging their heels further and further into a rabid fandom the likes of which the NFL barely touches.

So the committee put Alabama, a one-loss conference champion, in above Florida State, a zero-loss conference champion, because Alabama is a better team right now than Florida State by their collective judgment. I’m inclined to agree. You can disagree if you like, and you can yell at me on Twitter as well. You can tell me the committee is intellectually dishonest, because a true interpretation of “four best teams” would have almost certainly included Georgia over Texas or Washington—and I can see that point crystal clear. It’s a frustrating system—and that’s the point.

I feel horrible for Florida State fans and players, all of whom deserved a bid for the national championship and lost it entirely on terrible injury luck. There’s nothing I can say to make that better.

But the committee got it right.

(Mostly Real) Awards

I’ll hand out some awards. Most of them will be real. Some of them won’t be.

That Young Man Can Play Award: Arizona Cardinals TE Trey McBride

Tight end is a famously challenging position for young players to learn. Rookie tight ends often end up taking a de facto redshirt year by default. Such was the case in 2022 for McBride, who essentially didn’t play until Zach Ertz got injured, ultimately ending the year with 265 yards on 29 catches.

In the last six weeks of this season, McBride has 41 catches for 440 yards and two scores. No tight end has more receptions; George Kittle has one more yard.

McBride has quickly become a favorite target of franchise quarterback Kyler Murray, and with wide receiver Marquise Brown approaching free agency, McBride is establishing himself as the primary target in this offense overall. In Sunday’s 24-10 win over the Steelers, McBride had eight catches for 89 yards and a touchdown, and led the Cardinals with nine targets. Stock dramatically up for the younger player.

Offensive Rookie of the Year (of the Week): Detroit Lions TE Sam LaPorta

Everything I just wrote up there about rookie tight ends not producing? Toss that out.

LaPorta has been a godsend for the Detroit Lions. They desperately needed a viable second target to play foil to Amon-Ra St. Brown, and they got more than they bargained for with their second-round pick tight end. After a nine-catch, 140-yard performance in a win over the Saints, LaPorta has 679 yards through 12 games—that total already puts him seventh on the post–Super Bowl leaderboard for rookie tight ends. At 56.6 yards per game, he’s on pace for 962 yards, which would make him only the second rookie in the Super Bowl era to clear 900 receiving yards—Kyle Pitts, who has the record at 1,026 yards, is very much within range.

The Very Much in the Playoff Race Award: The Los Angeles Rams

Don’t look now, but the Rams have a top-10 offense. Sixth in success rate, seventh in EPA per drive. And they’ve been dealing with injuries to key players like Cooper Kupp and Kyren Williams. The obvious things to highlight in this offensive surge are the superlative play of Matthew Stafford, who remains a fearless gunslinger despite his age and injury history, and the emergence of Puka Nacua, who had 139 yards from scrimmage and a score in the Rams’ 36-19 win over the Browns.

One unheralded, but critical key to note: the play of the offensive line. The Rams snagged two new starting guards this offseason: rookie Steve Avila in the second round of the draft, and Kevin Dotson late in training camp via trade with the Steelers. Both have been lights-out, while longtime backup Alaric Jackson (responsible for the best inexplicable screenshot of Sunday’s slate) is holding his own at left tackle.

The Rams have a proven formula on offense and a young defense that’s getting better by the week. They aren’t built like a true contender, but I’d wager they’re a tough out in January.

The Very Much Not Really in the Playoff Race Award: The Pittsburgh Steelers/Cleveland Browns

I simply cannot take 2023 Joe Flacco seriously. He didn’t even play that poorly—for a while there, the Browns were keeping pace with the Rams!—but the Browns are on their fourth starting quarterback, and it’s a player even the Jets passed on. I do not fear this team.

I also cannot take 2023 Mitchell Trubisky seriously, despite the fact that Kenny Pickett’s ankle injury means I must watch him play the New England Patriots on Thursday Night Football—truly, the most cursed matchup to ever grace that revered slot. The Steelers hope Pickett will be out only a few weeks, but I’m not sure Trubisky is good enough to keep the Steelers alive in this dense AFC playoff race during Pickett’s absence.

With the Steelers and Browns facing dire quarterbacking situations, there’s more room now for some AFC hopefuls. The Texans and Colts, surely. The Broncos as well. Dare I say … the Bills?

Next Ben Stats

What it sounds like: Next Gen Stats, but I get to make them up.

1: That’s how many punts the Colts actually blocked on Sunday

The national media is lying to you! It’s sensationalizing the numbers! It’d have you believe the Colts blocked two punts against the Titans this Sunday—consecutive punts, in fact. But it is a lie!

Here is their one punt block, courtesy of a wonderful rush by Nick Cross.

As you can see in this replay, Titans punter Ryan Stonehouse actually does make contact with the ball moments before driving it directly into the oncoming Cross. (Cool football nerd moment: This rush was designed based off of film study of the Titans’ punt protection this season. Not dumb luck—schemed up!)

The second “punt block,” however, was anything but!

This, my dear friends, is a forced fumble because Stonehouse never made contact with the ball. Cornerback Troy Brown knocks the ball away from Stonehouse on the drop, not the kick. This ball was never punted, but rather fumbled by the Titans and recovered by the Colts.

The media would have you believe we just saw the 30th game with multiple blocked punts for a single team. Ha!

3: That’s how many games NFL teams have lost this year while allowing their opponent to score 10 or fewer points. The Patriots have all three losses.

This is not a Next Ben Stat—rather, it’s a Next Jason Starrett Stat; he really stumbled across a banger.

You want to know the absolute worst bit? Those three losses … are the Patriots’ past three games: 10-6 to the Colts in London, 10-7 to the Tommy DeVito Giants last week, and this 6-0 travesty at home against the Chargers. The Patriots defense has given up 26 points over the past three games. They’re third by success rate and second by EPA per drive in that stretch. And for their effort, nothing: 0-3. A new coaching staff and a new quarterback (perhaps selected with the second pick, which the Patriots now own) almost inarguably await.

The post The Scorching Learn, Week 13: The San Francisco 49ers Are Again to Peak Type appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

New survey finds 75 percent of homeowners know someone who has had a house fire, and the majority (57 percent) occurred during the holidays

SAN FRANCISCO, December 01, 2022–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The holidays are all about celebrating traditions with family and friends. Between choosing the right gifts and preparing delicious meals, you have plenty on your plate. Ensuring that you and your loved ones are safe can be an additional stress. Today, Thumbtack, the app used by millions of homeowners across the country to care for their homes, unveiled a new “Holiday Fire Prevention Checklist” that allows homeowners to check their home’s fire risk, and seamlessly book a home service professional to help prevent fires before they happen.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221201005163/en/

Thumbtack unveils new “Holiday Fire Prevention Checklist” (Graphic: Business Wire)

“We recently found that 75 percent of people know someone who has had a house fire, and the majority occurred over the holiday season. Yet, homeowners are reluctant to admit they themselves are at risk of a home fire — with only 1 in 5 stating they believe their own personal risk of a fire is high,” said David Steckel, Thumbtack’s Home Expert. “In order to ensure this holiday season is full of joy and celebration with friends and family, we want to help homeowners understand the causes of house fires — and take action to prevent them. Our goal is to give homeowners peace of mind so they can enjoy their holiday festivities.”

The “Holiday Fire Prevention Checklist” highlights the top projects homeowners should tackle before the holidays, which have the highest risk of starting a fire if left unaddressed, including:

• Hang holiday lights (hire a pro): A professional installer can take this festive (but time-consuming) task off your hands — and ensure you’re not overloading your circuits.

• Sweep chimney (hire a pro): Annual inspections and cleanings are a must to minimize fire hazards, manage creosote buildup, and prevent gas leaks.

• Test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms (DIY): Working alarms are crucial. Testing yearly and replacing every 7 years is the best way to make sure you’re protected.

• Clean dryer vents (hire a pro): Lint buildup causes about 3,000 house fires yearly. Cleaning your dryer’s exhaust pipe can help prevent a fire and improve efficiency.

• Inspect fire extinguishers (DIY): Always keep a working dry chemical fire extinguisher (the dial should be in the “green region”) easily accessible and near the kitchen.

• Trim trees (hire a pro): Keeping your trees trimmed prolongs the life of your roof, cuts down on potential fire hazards, and can prevent wildlife from moving in.

• Deep clean gas range (DIY or hire a pro): Built-up grease can be a big fire hazard — especially with a gas range. Be sure to clean it out every 3-6 months.

• Ensure space heaters are not a hazard (DIY): Only run space heaters in a clear, hazard-free space — and never overnight.

• Do an electrical check (hire a pro): Prevent fire hazards by having a pro check your property (inside and out) for faulty electrical wiring and overloaded circuits.

• Maintain Christmas tree (DIY): Make sure to water your tree, unplug it at night, or set a timer to avoid fires — artificial trees are also a great alternative.

Story continues

In addition to creating a resource hub for homeowners, from December 1 – December 9, 2022, Thumbtack will also be offering consumers $50 off* their next home project so they can prevent fires this holiday season — from hiring a chimney pro to booking a home inspection, and more (terms and conditions apply).

Visit www.thumbtack.com/content/fire-prevention to learn more about potential fire hazards this holiday season, to see how your home ranks on the safety scale, and to book a pro to ensure you’re ready to tackle the holiday season — worry-free.

About Thumbtack

Thumbtack is a technology leader building the modern home management platform. Through the Thumbtack app, homeowners can effortlessly manage their homes — confidently knowing what to do, when to do it, and who to hire. Bringing the $600 billion home services industry online, Thumbtack empowers millions of homeowners to fix, maintain, and improve their most valuable asset. Hundreds of thousands of local service professionals, from painters and plumbers to photographers and more, use the Thumbtack platform to grow their businesses each year. The company is backed by Sequoia Capital, Tiger Global Management, Javelin Venture Partners, Baillie Gifford, and CapitalG, among others.

*Terms and conditions: Thumbtack users may receive $50 off one project, from December 1, 2022 through December 9, 2022. This offer is limited to the first 2,000 users to redeem the discount. Discounts only apply to projects that cost $50 or more (before tax and tip), booked and paid for through Thumbtack. Not all Service Professionals accept payment through Thumbtack. Make sure you check with your Service Professional to confirm they accept payment through Thumbtack before hiring them. The discount will be automatically applied at checkout.

Discounts cannot be stacked (in other words, only one discount can be used per booking), and discounts are for one-time use only. On-Demand bookings (sometimes referred to as “Pro matched by Thumbtack”) are not eligible for discounts. Learn more about On-Demand bookings. Discounts are subject to the terms outlined in our Terms of Use.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221201005163/en/

Contacts

Laura Arrubla Toro
press@thumbtack.com

The post ADDING MULTIMEDIA Thumbtack Creates New “Vacation Fireplace Prevention Guidelines” to Assist Owners Get Forward of Peak Residential Fireplace Season appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

In the first 10 months of Housing Bust 2 (now), the median price plummeted much faster than it did in the first 10 months of Housing Bust 1 (2007-11).

By Wolf Richter for WOLF STREET.

There’d better be a halfway decent spring sales season already underway in San Francisco and Silicon Valley, because it’s getting pretty bad pretty fast. But it’s hard to imagine how good the spring sales season can be amid countless reports of layoffs, working from home elsewhere, and big numbers on how many people have left Silicon Valley and San Francisco. The city of San Francisco alone lost about 56,000 residents, or about 6.3% of its population, according to census data from 2020 to 2022, despite the completion of about 12,000 new housing units during the same period.

The nine-county Bay Area median price fell another 8% in January, 17% year over year and 35% or $540,000 in 10 months after the crazy peak in March 2022. $1.54 million to $1.00 million US dollars, according to the California Association of Realtors.

Bay Area single-family home sales fell 37% in January compared to January last year. The slump in sales has been moving for months in a year-on-year comparison.

Seasonally, January is generally the worst month of the year for the median price of sales closed in January, reflecting deals negotiated in December. So there is hope that this will reverse during the spring sales season that everyone is praying for.

But where is this requested demand supposed to come from during the spring sales season? People are now worried about their jobs and buying a still ridiculously overpriced home with mortgage rates once again approaching 7% is probably not the top priority. There is also the fear of catching a falling knife. The area has lost population. And amidst layoffs and hiring freezes, not many people are now being hired from elsewhere with big salary promises.

But the 35% plunge hasn’t done much damage yet more broadly, because the price increase before that was so steep and so insane that not many people actually bought homes at those insane prices in 2021 and 2022. Most people who bought in 2019 or earlier — the vast majority of homeowners — are still afloat.

In other words, the 35% plunge didn’t even take down the entire top of pandemic-free money. But the illusions of sudden wealth vanished as quickly as they appeared.

As you can see from the jagged line on the charts, median prices are volatile and seasonal and can be skewed by the mix of what is actually selling, etc. etc. So they must be treated with care. But this slump is historic nonetheless.

Blast from the Past: Housing Bust 1 vs. Housing Bust 2. During the Housing Bust 1 that began in the Bay Area in mid-2007, the median price plummeted 59% in 21 months, from May 2007 ($789,250) to February 2009 ($321,110) when it bottomed out.

Ominously, the median price has only fallen 23% over the first 10 months of Housing Bust 1, compared to 35% over the past 10 months in Housing Bust 2. This chart is a blast from the past, Housing Bust 1 in all its glory:

The five major counties of the Bay Area.

San Francisco: The median single-family home price has fallen 33%, or $675,000, since its breathtakingly idiotic peak in March 2022, falling from $2.06 million to $1.38 million in 10 months. Year over year, the median price plummeted 15%.

The January median price was about the same as January 2019. The first time the median price reached $1.38 million was in February 2016. The spring sales season should be better:

Silicon Valley: San Mateo County: The median single-family home price has fallen 32% since its April 2022 peak, down $776,000 in nine months, from $2.40 million in April to $1.62 million in December. Year over year, the median price plummeted 19%.

This median price remained almost unchanged in January 2021 and was first seen in February 2018.

Silicon Valley: Santa Clara County (including San Jose): The median single-family home price rose in January, but was still down 22%, or $440,000, from its April 2022 peak, after falling from $1.97 million to April 1 in nine months .53 million US dollars had fallen. Year-over-year, the median price fell by 11%.

Alameda County (East Bay, including Oakland): The median price for single-family homes fell 31%, or $479,000, from $1.54 million to $1.06 million from the May 2022 peak. Year-over-year, the median price fell by 15%.

Contra Costa County (East Bay): The median single-family home price fell 30%, or $313,500, from its April 2022 peak of $1.05 million to $736,500. Year-over-year, the median price fell by 11%.

Median time on market in the Bay Area rose to 32 days in January before the property was sold or pulled from the market for failing to generate a deal. This was an increase from 28 days in December 2022 and 12 days in January 2022.

So a good spring sales season – or at least not a disaster – is what everyone is praying for. In January, mortgage rates had fallen to nearly 6% and the stock market had skyrocketed, but that’s over. The daily reading of the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rate is already back above 6.75% amid renewed inflation fears and dashed Fed Pivot hopes, according to Mortgage News Daily.

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The post San Francisco Bay Space Housing Market Crashes, Costs Plunge 35% from Loopy Peak: The place’s Demand Speculated to Come From? appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The holidays are all about celebrating traditions with family and friends. Between choosing the right gifts and preparing delicious meals, you have plenty on your plate. Ensuring that you and your loved ones are safe can be an additional stress. Today, Thumbtack, the app used by millions of homeowners across the country to care for their homes, unveiled a new “Holiday Fire Prevention Checklist” that allows homeowners to check their home’s fire risk, and seamlessly book a home service professional to help prevent fires before they happen.

“We recently found that 75 percent of people know someone who has had a house fire, and the majority occurred over the holiday season. Yet, homeowners are reluctant to admit they themselves are at risk of a home fire — with only 1 in 5 stating they believe their own personal risk of a fire is high,” said David Steckel, Thumbtack’s Home Expert. “In order to ensure this holiday season is full of joy and celebration with friends and family, we want to help homeowners understand the causes of house fires — and take action to prevent them. Our goal is to give homeowners peace of mind so they can enjoy their holiday festivities.”

The “Holiday Fire Prevention Checklist” highlights the top projects homeowners should tackle before the holidays, which have the highest risk of starting a fire if left unaddressed, including:

• Hang holiday lights (hire a pro): A professional installer can take this festive (but time-consuming) task off your hands — and ensure you’re not overloading your circuits.

• Sweep chimney (hire a pro): Annual inspections and cleanings are a must to minimize fire hazards, manage creosote buildup, and prevent gas leaks.

  • Maintain gas fireplace (hire a pro): These fireplaces need regular maintenance too — connections can corrode over time, leading to potential gas leaks.

• Test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms (DIY): Working alarms are crucial. Testing yearly and replacing every 7 years is the best way to make sure you’re protected.

• Clean dryer vents (hire a pro): Lint buildup causes about 3,000 house fires yearly. Cleaning your dryer’s exhaust pipe can help prevent a fire and improve efficiency.

• Inspect fire extinguishers (DIY): Always keep a working dry chemical fire extinguisher (the dial should be in the “green region”) easily accessible and near the kitchen.

• Trim trees (hire a pro): Keeping your trees trimmed prolongs the life of your roof, cuts down on potential fire hazards, and can prevent wildlife from moving in.

• Deep clean gas range (DIY or hire a pro): Built-up grease can be a big fire hazard — especially with a gas range. Be sure to clean it out every 3-6 months.

• Ensure space heaters are not a hazard (DIY): Only run space heaters in a clear, hazard-free space — and never overnight.

• Do an electrical check (hire a pro): Prevent fire hazards by having a pro check your property (inside and out) for faulty electrical wiring and overloaded circuits.

• Maintain Christmas tree (DIY): Make sure to water your tree, unplug it at night, or set a timer to avoid fires — artificial trees are also a great alternative.

In addition to creating a resource hub for homeowners, from December 1 – December 9, 2022, Thumbtack will also be offering consumers $50 off* their next home project so they can prevent fires this holiday season — from hiring a chimney pro to booking a home inspection, and more (terms and conditions apply).

Visit www.thumbtack.com/content/fire-prevention to learn more about potential fire hazards this holiday season, to see how your home ranks on the safety scale, and to book a pro to ensure you’re ready to tackle the holiday season — worry free.

About Thumbtack

Thumbtack is a technology leader building the modern home management platform. Through the Thumbtack app, homeowners can effortlessly manage their homes — confidently knowing what to do, when to do it, and who to hire. Bringing the $600 billion home services industry online, Thumbtack empowers millions of homeowners to fix, maintain, and improve their most valuable asset. Hundreds of thousands of local service professionals, from painters and plumbers to photographers and more, use the Thumbtack platform to grow their businesses each year. The company is backed by Sequoia Capital, Tiger Global Management, Javelin Venture Partners, Baillie Gifford, and CapitalG, among others.

*Terms and conditions: Thumbtack users may receive $50 off one project, from December 1, 2022 through December 9, 2022. This offer is limited to the first 2,000 users to redeem the discount. Discounts only apply to projects that cost $50 or more (before tax and tip), booked and paid for through Thumbtack. Not all Service Professionals accept payment through Thumbtack. Make sure you check with your Service Professional to confirm they accept payment through Thumbtack before hiring them. The discount will be automatically applied at checkout.

Discounts cannot be stacked (in other words, only one discount can be used per booking), and discounts are for one-time use only. On-Demand bookings (sometimes referred to as “Pro matched by Thumbtack”) are not eligible for discounts. Learn more about On Demand bookings. Discounts are subject to the terms outlined in our Terms of Use.

The post ADDING MULTIMEDIA Thumbtack Creates New “Vacation Hearth Prevention Guidelines” to Assist Owners Get Forward of Peak Residential Hearth Season appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

No dear, this is not seasonal.

By Wolf Richter for WOLF STREET.

Declines in house prices have turned into a relentless drumbeat. Today, the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Home Price Index for “October” was released. Time frame: A three-month moving average of closed home sales that were entered into public records in August, September, and October; these are deals that were largely made in July through September.

Since then, home prices have dropped further nationwide, as we know from different median price indices; for example, in the city of San Francisco, the median house price has now plunged by 27% from the peak in April.

The Case-Shiller Index here – it covers 20 metropolitan areas – is a more reliable indicator than the sometimes-crazy median-price indices that can be heavily skewed by a change in the mix of homes that are sold. But the Case-Shiller index lags months behind.

On a month-to-month basis, house prices dropped again in all 20 metros that are in the Case-Shiller Index. On a year-over-year basis, the price gains were further slashed, with the condo index for San Francisco now negative; and the house price index just about flat.

The biggest month-to-month drops in today’s “October” index occurred in:

• Dallas: -2.1%
• Vegas: -1.8%
• San Francisco: -1.7%
• Phoenix: -1.6%
• Denver: -1.1%
• Seattle: -1.0%
• Boston: -1.0%
• Miami: -1.0%

From their various peakswhich range from May to July, house prices dropped the most in:

• San Francisco Bay Area: -13.0%
• Seattle metro: -12.2%
• San Diego metro: -8.5%
• Denver subway: -6.7%
• Los Angeles metro: -6.6%
• Phoenix subway: -5.9%
• Dallas subway: -5.6%
• Las Vegas metro: -5.2%.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, house prices dropped by 1.7% in “October” (three month moving average of sales that were entered into public records in August, September, and October), and are now down by 13.0% from the peak in May.

Plunging faster than it had spiked: Over those five months since the peak, the index plunged by 51.4 points. Over the five months to the peak, it had spiked by 48.6 points.

The five monthly drops from the peak have nearly wiped out the year-over-year gain (+0.6%). The Case-Shiller Index for San Francisco Bay Area condos is already down by 1.3% year-over-year.

The index for “San Francisco” covers five counties of the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area: San Francisco, part of Silicon Valley, part of the East Bay, and part of the North Bay.

In the Seattle metro, house prices dropped 1.0% in October from September, and are now down 12.2% from the peak in May.

Over those five months since the peak, the index plunged by 50.4 points. Over the five months to the peak, it had spiked by 55.9 points.

These five months of price drops slashed the year-over-year gain to 4.5%.

San Diego subway:

• Month over month: -0.7%.
• From the peak in May: -8.5%.
• Year over year: +7.5%.
• Down in five months from peak in May: -36.5 points
• Up in five months to peak in May: 53.4 points.

Denver subway:

• Month over month: -1.1%.
• From the peak in May: -6.7%.
• Year over year: +7.9%.
• Down in five months from peak in May: -22.2 points
• Up in five months to peak in May: +39.3 points.

Los Angeles subway:

• Month over month: -0.6%.
• From the peak in May: -6.6%.
• Year over year: +6.6%.
• Down in five months from peak in May: -27.8 points
• Up in five months to peak in May: 44.3 points.

Changing leadership among the most splendid housing bubbles. For Los Angeles, the current index value of 395 means that home prices ballooned by 295% since January 2000, when the index was set at 100. Based on the increase since 2000, Los Angeles was the #1 Most Splendid Housing Bubble in America until February 2022, when it was bypassed by San Diego.

But both were bypassed by Miami in August 2022, as prices in Los Angeles and San Diego were plunging, while prices in Miami had just started to drop. So Miami has become the #1 Most Splendid Housing Bubble in America, with prices still up by 301% from January 2000. Now they’re all chasing each other down.

Methodology of the Case-Shiller Index: The index uses the “sales pairs” method, comparing sales in the current month to when the same houses sold previously. The price changes within each sales pair are integrated into the index for the metro, are weighted based on how long ago the prior sale occurred, and adjustments are made for home improvements and other factors (methodology).

Phoenix metro:

• Month over month: -1.6%.
• From the peak in June: -5.9%.
• Year over year: +9.6%
• Down in four months from peak in June: -20.4 points
• Up in four months to peak in June: +29.2 points.

Dallas subway:

• Month over month: -2.1%.
• From the peak in June: -5.6%.
• Year over year: +13.5%
• Down in four months from peak in June: -10.3 points
• Up in four months to peak in June: +36.3 points.

Las Vegas subway:

• Month over month: -1.8%.
• From the peak in July: -5.4%.
• Year over year: +9.4%

• Down in three months from peak in July: -16.3 points
• Up in three months to peak in July: +17.0 points.

Portland subway:

• Month over month: -0.9%.
• From the peak in May: -5.2%.
• Year over year: +5.4%.
• Down in five months from peak in May: -17.7 points
• Up in five months to peak in May: +30.4 points.

Boston metro:

• Month over month: -1.0%.
• From the peak in June: -4.0%.
• Year over year: +7.6%

• Down in four months from peak in June: -12.5 points
• Up in four months to peak in June: +24.2 points.

Washington DC subway:

• Month over month: -0.5%.
• From the peak in June: -3.6%.
• Year over year: +6.0%

• Down in four months from peak in June: -11.3 points
• Up in four months to peak in June: +17.5 points.

Tampa subway:

• Month over month: -0.8%.
• From peak in July: -2.1%
• Year over year: +20.5%

• Down in three months from peak in July: -8.0 points
• Up in three months to peak in July: +29.3 points.

Miami subway:

• Month over month: -1.0%.
• From peak in July: -2.1%
• Year over year: +21.0%

• Down in three months from peak in July: -8.6 points
• Up in three months to peak in July: +32.7 points.

In the New York metro:

• Month over month: -0.2%.
• From peak in July: -1.5%
• Year over year: +9.3%

• Down in three months from peak in July: -4.1 points
• Up in three months to peak in July: +12.0 points.

In the New York metro, house price inflation since 2000 amounted to 172%, based on the Case-Shiller Index value of 273 today. This makes it the taillight of the Most Splendid Housing Bubbles.

In the remaining six cities in the 20-City Case-Shiller Index, house price inflation has been less, and they don’t qualify for this roster. But they also experienced month-to-month declines in the “October” index, following the declines September: Chicago (-0.5%), Charlotte (-0.9%), Minneapolis (-0.7%), Atlanta (-0.8), Detroit (-0.9%), and Cleveland (-1.0%).

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The post The Most Splendid Housing Bubbles in America, December Replace: Now Dallas, Las Vegas, Phoenix Plunge Quickest. San Francisco, Seattle, San Diego Down Most from Peak appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

New survey finds 75 percent of homeowners know someone who has had a house fire, and the majority (57 percent) occurred during the holidays

SAN FRANCISCO, December 01, 2022–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The holidays are all about celebrating traditions with family and friends. Between choosing the right gifts and preparing delicious meals, you have plenty on your plate. Ensuring that you and your loved ones are safe can be an additional stress. Today, Thumbtack, the app used by millions of homeowners across the country to care for their homes, unveiled a new “Holiday Fire Prevention Checklist” that allows homeowners to check their home’s fire risk, and seamlessly book a home service professional to help prevent fires before they happen.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221201005163/en/

Thumbtack unveils new “Holiday Fire Prevention Checklist” (Graphic: Business Wire)

“We recently found that 75 percent of people know someone who has had a house fire, and the majority occurred over the holiday season. Yet, homeowners are reluctant to admit they themselves are at risk of a home fire — with only 1 in 5 stating they believe their own personal risk of a fire is high,” said David Steckel, Thumbtack’s Home Expert. “In order to ensure this holiday season is full of joy and celebration with friends and family, we want to help homeowners understand the causes of house fires — and take action to prevent them. Our goal is to give homeowners peace of mind so they can enjoy their holiday festivities.”

The “Holiday Fire Prevention Checklist” highlights the top projects homeowners should tackle before the holidays, which have the highest risk of starting a fire if left unaddressed, including:

• Hang holiday lights (hire a pro): A professional installer can take this festive (but time-consuming) task off your hands — and ensure you’re not overloading your circuits.

• Sweep chimney (hire a pro): Annual inspections and cleanings are a must to minimize fire hazards, manage creosote buildup, and prevent gas leaks.

• Test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms (DIY): Working alarms are crucial. Testing yearly and replacing every 7 years is the best way to make sure you’re protected.

• Clean dryer vents (hire a pro): Lint buildup causes about 3,000 house fires yearly. Cleaning your dryer’s exhaust pipe can help prevent a fire and improve efficiency.

• Inspect fire extinguishers (DIY): Always keep a working dry chemical fire extinguisher (the dial should be in the “green region”) easily accessible and near the kitchen.

• Trim trees (hire a pro): Keeping your trees trimmed prolongs the life of your roof, cuts down on potential fire hazards, and can prevent wildlife from moving in.

• Deep clean gas range (DIY or hire a pro): Built-up grease can be a big fire hazard — especially with a gas range. Be sure to clean it out every 3-6 months.

• Ensure space heaters are not a hazard (DIY): Only run space heaters in a clear, hazard-free space — and never overnight.

• Do an electrical check (hire a pro): Prevent fire hazards by having a pro check your property (inside and out) for faulty electrical wiring and overloaded circuits.

• Maintain Christmas tree (DIY): Make sure to water your tree, unplug it at night, or set a timer to avoid fires — artificial trees are also a great alternative.

Story continues

In addition to creating a resource hub for homeowners, from December 1 – December 9, 2022, Thumbtack will also be offering consumers $50 off* their next home project so they can prevent fires this holiday season — from hiring a chimney pro to booking a home inspection, and more (terms and conditions apply).

Visit www.thumbtack.com/content/fire-prevention to learn more about potential fire hazards this holiday season, to see how your home ranks on the safety scale, and to book a pro to ensure you’re ready to tackle the holiday season — worry free.

About Thumbtack

Thumbtack is a technology leader building the modern home management platform. Through the Thumbtack app, homeowners can effortlessly manage their homes — confidently knowing what to do, when to do it, and who to hire. Bringing the $600 billion home services industry online, Thumbtack empowers millions of homeowners to fix, maintain, and improve their most valuable asset. Hundreds of thousands of local service professionals, from painters and plumbers to photographers and more, use the Thumbtack platform to grow their businesses each year. The company is backed by Sequoia Capital, Tiger Global Management, Javelin Venture Partners, Baillie Gifford, and CapitalG, among others.

*Terms and conditions: Thumbtack users may receive $50 off one project, from December 1, 2022 through December 9, 2022. This offer is limited to the first 2,000 users to redeem the discount. Discounts only apply to projects that cost $50 or more (before tax and tip), booked and paid for through Thumbtack. Not all Service Professionals accept payment through Thumbtack. Make sure you check with your Service Professional to confirm they accept payment through Thumbtack before hiring them. The discount will be automatically applied at checkout.

Discounts cannot be stacked (in other words, only one discount can be used per booking), and discounts are for one-time use only. On-Demand bookings (sometimes referred to as “Pro matched by Thumbtack”) are not eligible for discounts. Learn more about On Demand bookings. Discounts are subject to the terms outlined in our Terms of Use.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221201005163/en/

Contacts

Laura Arrubla Toro
press@thumbtack.com

The post ADDING MULTIMEDIA Thumbtack Creates New “Vacation Hearth Prevention Guidelines” to Assist Householders Get Forward of Peak Residential Hearth Season appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Sales volume plunged 38%.

By Wolf Richter for WOLF STREET.

The median price of single-family houses in the San Francisco Bay Area peaked in April and has dropped every month since then. By July, the median price, at $1.33 million, was down by about $220,000 from the peak and by 2% year-over-year, undoing most of the huge gains in 2021 and early 2022.

In San Francisco itself, the median price of single-family houses also peaked in April – at $2.06 million, according to the California Association of Realtors. And then it sagged, and then it plunged. In July, it hit $1.68 million. Median prices are volatile from month to month, and they’re easily skewed by a change in the mix of what is sold, and by other factors, so we need to be careful here. But this is nevertheless a huge plunge at the wrong time of the year.

Year-over-year, the median price in San Francisco dropped by 9% in July, the second month in a row of year-over-year declines, following the 4% year-over-year decline in June. The first time the median price hit this level was in February 2018. In this chart, the seasonal low points are generally Decembers and Januarys. The summer months tend to be in the upper part of the range – but obviously not this July. The purple line connects the Julys.

Sales volume in July plunged by 38% year-over-year in the Bay Area, according to MLS data cited by Patrick Carlisle, Chief Market Analyst at Compass, San Francisco Bay Area.

“Across the Bay Area, markets have continued to slow and cool, with dramatic changes in demand, inventory, overbidding, price reductions, and year-over-year buyer appreciation rates,” Carlisle said.

“Median home sales price appreciation rates in the Bay Area have generally seen steep declines from those in 2021/early 2022, with some counties experiencing year-over-year median price declines in July,” Carlisle said.

“These changes vary in degree by county and market segment – ​​and monthly data can be volatile, fluctuating according to a wide variety of factors, including market seasonality – but the direction of these shifts is near universal,” Carlisle said.

San Francisco’s extra-special stew of housing market factors.

The spike in mortgage rates to over 5% is tough for homebuyers to digest, and for home sellers to adjust to, and it’s tough for them everywhere.

But San Francisco, with its focus on tech and startups, has become heavily dependent on venture capital funding, and on SoftBank’s funding, and on the hiring by these and other companies, with employees getting huge salaries and fantastic stock options, and all this has become dependent on booming stock and crypto prices. So here we go:

Prices of the most speculative assets have plunged, such as cryptos and stocks that recently had their IPOs or SPAC mergers. Many of these stocks of companies that are headquartered or were headquartered in San Francisco have collapsed by 70% or 80% or 90% and have made it into my Imploded Stocks column. And more broadly, despite the blistering summer rally, the Nasdaq is down 21% from its November high.

The funding of startups has fizzled, particularly the huge amounts that SoftBank used to throw willy-nilly at Bay Area startups, at valuations that turned them into instant pop-up unicorns. But SoftBank got waylaid by the plunge in stocks and disclosed a gazillion dollars in losses on its investments so far this year, and then shut off the money spigot.

Venture capital firms have pulled back from funding the craziest stuff as the exits via IPO or via merger with a SPAC that they rely on to cash out have been barricaded by the brutal collapse of many of these stocks.

Population declined. From July 2020 to July 2021, the population of San Francisco dropped by nearly 55,000 people, or by 6.3%, to 815,000 people, the lowest since 2010, according to the Census Bureau. But the decline started in 2019. According to estimates by California’s Department of Finance, the population peaked in 2019 at 890,000. So since 2019, the population has dropped by about 75,000 people, or by 8.4%. For people who live here, the City is still immensely crowded and congested, but just a little less so than during peak craziness.

Working remotely and corporate move-outs have left the previously bustling Financial District and the South of Market area a shadow of its former self. According to the Savills, 26% of the entire office space in the City is on the market for lease, which is huge. Among the big cities, only Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston are in worse shape.

New housing units have been added at a rate of 2,000 to 4,500 every year. All of them have been multifamily, as no single-family housing has been built in over a decade. Density in the city is growing, and huge areas are being redeveloped. This includes Candlestick Point/Hunters Point Shipyard, Treasure Island, Parkmerced, Potrero Power Station, and others, most of which are industrial wastelands, some of them decorated with nuclear contamination from the US military during the Cold War, the cleanup of which has become its own forever soap opera of scandals. Tens of thousands of housing units are planned for these areas.

But much lower home prices would solve a host of big economic and business issues in the Bay Area – including the entire phenomenon called Housing Crisis.

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The post Home Costs in San Francisco & Bay Space Expertise Steep Declines from April Peak Craziness, Down Yr-over-Yr appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Was a green fireball that recently treated at least 500 people in 13 states who happened to look up at the sky at the right time an “incredibly bright” Taurid meteor? And will the typically prolific Leonids throw out similar spectacles when the shower peaks this week over San Francisco?

The Leonid meteor shower — known to produce fast, bright meteors as Earth plows through a trail of debris left behind by the comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle — peaks Wednesday and Thursday morning just before dawn.

It depends on the weather, of course. AccuWeather calls for partly to mostly cloudy.

November is always a fun month for skywatching, but especially this year. A blood lunar eclipse during the full frost moon Thursday and Friday will be the longest-running lunar eclipse of the 21st century, according to NASA (more about that later).

The annual shower runs through Nov. 30, has a cyclonic peak every 33 years and spits out hundreds of meteors an hour, something that last happened in 2001. In normal years, count on 15 or so shooting stars an hour.

A nearly full moon will be troublesome for meteor watching, but if the Leonids produce fireballs, even bright moonlight won’t blot them out. As always, the darker the sky, the better, and your best bet is to time your visit around moonset on the peak mornings — between 5 and 6 am here in California.

The much-talked-about Taurid fireball Nov. 10 was reported by nearly 500 people in 13 East Coast states. One Patch reader commented that she was “thrilled to see” the green fireball in Hawthorne, New Jersey. “So did my husband,” she wrote, “so I know I wasn’t crazy. It was amazing.”

By the way, the Taurid meteor showers—that’s plural because they consist of two distinct branches, the South and North Taurids, both rich in fireballs—continue through Dec. 10. Both streams have peaked, the North Taurids Nov 11-12, just after the green fireball was reported on Nov 10.

This week’s big event is the lunar eclipse, which will be visible in all 50 states Thursday night and Friday morning. Technically, it’s a partial eclipse but will appear from our vantage point on Earth to be a total eclipse. At the peak of this event — lasting 3 hours, 28 minutes and 32 seconds — our planet will block 98 percent of the sun’s light from reaching the moon’s surface in a reddish hue.

Usually, light from the sun paints the face of the moon a grayish-white. But when the eclipse peaks around 4 am Eastern Time on the 19th, the moon will be washed in a reddish hue.

A partial lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes through Earth’s partial shadow, or penumbra, and only a portion of it passes through the darkest shadow, or umbra. A total or nearly total lunar eclipse like this one often is called a “blood moon” for this reason.

Lunar eclipses only happen during full moons. Indigenous people tracked the seasons by the full moon, and November’s is known by various names — the full frost moon, beaver moon and dark moon.

The approaching full cold moon — or long nights moon or moon before Yule — on Dec. 19 could interfere some with the Dec. 13-14 peak of the
Geminid meteor shower, but this annual sky show that rivals the Perseids in August produces shooting stars so bright they’ll be able to compete with the moonlight, according to Earthsky.org.

Multicolored meteors fly at a rate of anywhere from 50 to 120 an hour at the peak, which like most meteor showers is between midnight and dawn. The shower runs from Dec. 4-17

The final meteor shower of 2021, the Ursid meteor shower, runs from Dec. 17-26 The peak always occurs on Dec. 21, the winter solstice. The Ursids are fairly low-key, delivering five or 10 meteors an hour, but on rare occasions can produce outbursts of 100 or more meteors an hour. The meteors appear to come from the Ursa Minor constellation.

The post Leonid Meteors Peak Over San Francisco Forward Of Lunar Eclipse appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.