“Oh fair enough are sky and plain,
But I know fairer far:
Those are as beautiful again
That in the water are;

The pools and rivers wash so clean
The trees and clouds and air,
The like on earth was never seen,
And oh that I were there.”
– A.E. Housman, English poet and scholar

Summer weather and swimming pools are synonymous. The two are so closely related in most people’s minds that you cannot think of one without also thinking of the other.

The record-breaking temperatures in the past weeks only further establish this point. Each summer, many will say, “This is the hottest summer I remember.” Fortunately, most of my summer memories take place in and around a pool or at the beach. I am a real born and raised Southern California girl.

Describe summer weather? No matter where in the world you may live, there is an answer, some similar and some vastly different. Ask one of our local citizens and most likely the explanation will be a simple, “Hot!” Correct, but one more word is necessary … “monsoon.”

When we think of monsoons and their drenching and often unpredictable downpours, images of India and Southeast Asia come to mind. Time to include another image! Did you know those billowing thunderheads often seen during the summer rising high above the San Gabriel Mountains are the result of the North American Monsoon (NAM)? Summer heat creates an area of low pressure across the southwest. The waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean also become heated. A warmed moisture-laden air mass (picture a teapot) rises creating an area of high pressure. As these systems collide, the wind direction changes and the moisture moves into Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Colorado and Southern California. In some areas the rain produced may account for 50% of the season’s total.

A rare shower may fall over the Crescenta Valley, but lightening-caused fires are more likely. The NAM may not be as ominous as the majestic Asian monsoon, but its water is a life-source for the southwest U.S.

The forecast includes another hot weekend including afternoon monsoonal clouds over the mountains. By Tuesday a cool down is expected once again. Not much change; the summer is still hot and I still use the pool for a good cool down.  

Next week more about the “cool icon” of So Cal – the backyard swimming pool.

Sue Kilpatrick is a
Crescenta Valley resident and
Official Skywarn Spotter for the
National Weather Service. Reach her at  suelkilpatrick@gmail.com.

  Sue Kilpatrick