“I don’t know, I don’t feel right unless I’ve got the sea and mountains nearby. People are mostly a product of where they were born and raised. How you think and feel is always linked to the lay of the land, the temperature. The prevailing winds, even.”

~ Haruki Murakami, Japanese author, novelist & translator

Wild weather overtook our “neck of the woods!” From Saturday night through Tuesday we experienced extreme temperature fluctuations, roof-ripping-force winds, breathtakingly clear skies and temperatures – including the wind-chill factor dropping down to near freezing. Between Sunday and Monday the daytime high dropped from a warm 85 to a chilly 55 degrees. Not exactly record-breaking compared with other parts of the U.S.; no complaints here; I find it exhilarating!

Imagine bundling up to get the newspaper (not the CVW) at 7:30 a.m. in the morning, it’s a frigid -4 degrees (not in La Crescenta.). Two minutes later, Fido needs to go potty. Out you go … you hardly need a jacket; the temperature has shot up to 45 degrees. That’s 49 degrees in just two minutes. But wait; there’s more to the wild morning weather story. After the temperature climbs to a balmy 54 it plummets in 27 minutes, returning to -4 degrees once again. Sounds like a dream or maybe a nightmare? Nope, it happened in Spearfish, South Dakota on Jan. 22, 1943.

Coming up on Sunday, the sound of pitter-patter should awaken us as the rain returns after a long winter break. With luck a visitation pattern will continue through April. We have some catching up to do with current totals slightly under eight inches!

The upcoming front is expected to scoop up some moisture along the way from British Columbia. Recently, San Luis Obispo County had the more opportune forecasts for rain. Well, now it’s our turn! The probability of precipitation is high, but unfortunately the quantity is low. Come Monday “hold onto your hats” as the Santa Anas return.

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

  Sue Kilpatrick