“Snowflakes are one of nature’s most fragile things, but just look what they can do when they stick together.”
~ Vista M. Kelly

A deadly nor’easter is bringing howling winds, drenching rain, heavy snow and powerful waves to much of the East Coast. Winter arrived as scheduled to the Midwestern and eastern states, but here in the west, winter was delayed.

Locally last week, though, there wasn’t a doubt as to the season. According to my thermometer, nighttime temperatures dropped to freezing and didn’t rise much beyond 50 degrees during the day. Adding a bit more chill to the already cold weather, an occasional burst of wind blew over the Crescenta Valley. Better yet, last Friday and into Saturday the rain gauge earned its keep as a gentle rain soaked into the ground. The 2017-18 Rain Total Season now stands at 4.72 inches. A few fleeting snowflakes fell in La Crescenta amongst newly arrived winter weather.

True is the above quotation. A drop of water can become a flood, a gentle breeze a hurricane and a snowflake a blizzard. Discernment is not found within the often-unpredictable nature of weather; pleasant and disastrous can both give definition.

In 1846, a wagon train headed to California became trapped in the Sierras during one of the most brutal winters on record. Most know the outcome of the tragic journey of the Donner Party; of the 87 members of the party, only 48 survived. In remembrance, the Donner Memorial State Park was established. At the memorial site is the ironic “Weather Prophet Rock” suspended from a wooden tripod. Its sign reads: “This rock is the perfect weather indicator … more accurate than your local weatherman, 100% correct. This is how it works:

A dry rock means fair weather.
A wet rock means rain.
A dusty rock means a dust storm.
A swaying rock means it’s windy.
A shadow under the rock means it’s sunny.
A white rock means a snowstorm.
A jumping rock means an earthquake.”

The NWS is predicting rain beginning tomorrow. With added moisture from the south we could receive over an inch. By Tuesday dry weather resumes. Hopefully scientific prediction will reign over a rock.

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