“Life is like Mother Nature, unpredictable. There are cloudy days and there are sunny days but you have the power to decide the weather of your life.”
~ Artyom Gross
The first days of June arrived last weekend without the predicted fog and dismal gloom. These typical conditions had been forecast by the NWS; I glean their data and related predictions. Together with my musings, it becomes formulated into this humble and mostly weather-related newspaper column. But there are many stops along the way.

Wednesday midday, I send my writings to the CV Weekly office. There it gets cleaned up, i.e. edited, formatted and printed by Robin Goldsworthy and friends. What happened along the way…? As you recall, it was downright hot, very clear with perhaps a tiny bit of fog along the coast. Did I blow it with my prediction of June gloom? If so, why didn’t Robin catch my mistake? Well, “Life is like Mother Nature, unpredictable.” We mortals announce, “June Gloom” and Mother Nature – wearing her weather disguise – chortles back, “Turn on the heat!” So Robin, we are off the hook … for now.   

The sunny days called for a swim, but the water was too cold. If the impending hot weather had been known, the pool heater could have been flipped to “on.” Instead, off I went to the Arts and Crafts Festival; it wasn’t the first time the temperatures hit 90 degrees at the event. Upon returning home, I realized the need for hydration didn’t pertain only to me. Abby, our “gold dog,” lapped from an overflowing bucket of cool water while the the surrounding yard called for a drink, too.

After enduring five years of drought, California now has an adequate supply of water. Surface water – referring to rivers, creeks, lakes and reservoirs – are in good condition. Snowpack water content stands at 183%. Groundwater aquifers recover much more slowly from drought than surface water and snow pack. The Crescenta Valley obtains 40% to 60% of its water from aquifers (pumped by local wells). Considering these and our semi-arid desert climate, I water accordingly. Next week I’ll include my own Watering in The Foothills as every drop must count.

If all goes according to plans, an onshore flow will dominate our weather. Temperatures are expected to be below normal through the weekend. Come the new week, a warm-up gets underway. With the summer solstice two weeks off, Mother Nature seems on task.
Sue Kilpatrick is a
Crescenta Valley resident and
Official Skywarn Spotter for the
National Weather Service. Reach her at  suelkilpatrick@gmail.com.

  Sue Kilpatrick