“I roamed the countryside searching for answers …
Why thunder lasts longer than that which causes it,
And why immediately upon its creation the lightening becomes visible to the eye while thunder requires time to travel.”   ~ Leonardo da Vinci

The threat of thunderstorms across all L.A. County last Saturday turned to real showers by 10 p.m. Rain! I quickly put the rain gauge out into the warm and humid evening. Last season’s 9.25 inches quickly became history as I pushed the reset button and turned my attention to the current Doppler radar. A swath of intense green was overhead with yellow, orange and red quickly moving west – our direction – from Riverside County and beyond. Exciting weather as an unusually low-pressure area moved northwestward from the subtropics and met up with an exceptionally moist air mass from the desert southwest. The monsoonal flow is typical for August, but the extra boost from the subtropics was a surprise.

Unfortunately, the rain didn’t amount to much here. But just east of us, a slow moving thunderstorm hit the Mt. Baldy area on Sunday afternoon. I had a personal weather observer call and send text updates from Forest Falls.

“Mom! Just want to let you to know I’m okay. We are moving the campers to higher ground – the dining hall. Gotta go, love you!”

Our 24-year-old is on staff at Forest Home Camp this summer. His years of experience were put to the test when three to four inches of rain fell within a short time. Most of the camp (excluding the high school kids and their leaders) was closed due to massive flooding. As water, mud and rocks flowed through the area, buildings were semi-buried in mud and rocks as were the roads, cars and even the pool. Actual Forest Home photos showed a much more serious and destructive situation than the news coverage. Thankfully there were no injuries.

Upcoming days are predicted to be mild into next week – mid 80s to low 90s –with cooler nights in the low 60s.

School may be starting, but summer is far from over.
Sue Kilpatrick is a
Crescenta Valley resident and
Official Skywarn Spotter for the
National Weather Service. Reach her at  suelkilpatrick@gmail.com.