“March came in that winter like the meekest and mildest of lambs, bringing days that were crisp and golden and tingling, each followed by a frosty pink twilight which gradually lost itself in an elfland of moonshine.”     

~ L.M. Montgomery, author of “Anne of Green Gables,” 1908

Yes! The rains have returned! The 2019-20 rain season got off to a good start. Thanksgiving Day was rainy and cold but bereft of a “white and drifted snow.” A month later the Crescenta Valley had captured slightly over seven inches of rain. It stormed on and off around the holidays. The grand finale was Christmas night, with two or three unimpressive encores to follow. Mother Nature seemed to have chuckled, turned off the faucet and said, “Hope you liked the show!” adding …. “That’s all, folks.”

As mentioned in a previous column, January is often break time between storms traveling along the jet stream. Come February the storm pattern resumes and the umbrella is more up than down. Normally, the lion’s share of precipitation falls at this time. Not as if we have much choice in the matter but as the (Bible or Lincoln) saying goes, “Good comes to those who wait.”

As we waited for the drops to fall, many cold small rain-less storms passed through. But snowflakes fell at the higher mountain peaks of Southern California. One of these is our local Mount Lukens. At an elevation of 5,075 feet it’s the highest point in Los Angeles. This makes Los Angeles the largest city with the highest and lowest (sea level) elevation difference in the country! Due to its height and location, it is an ideal location for what the USGS calls on topo maps an “Electronics Site.” So Mt. Lukens has become home to television, radio and cellular transmission towers. Among these is the tower belonging to the NWS. From here comes the NOAA Weather Radio broadcast where we go to hear all about the weather.

A cool and unsettled weather pattern is expected into next week as the trough of low pressure remains over the west. The timing of storms during this period is not an easy one to predict, but it`s possible many areas will receive at least some precipitation each day, with snow levels at 5,000’. Overall, the predicted rainfall is relatively light. Late Monday into early Tuesday offers the best chance for heavier storms.

Don’t put away those umbrellas … yet!

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

  Sue Kilpatrick