By Mary O’KEEFE

We end the year with some interesting weather-fueled events. The first is the winter solstice, which occurred on Dec. 21. 

Winter solstice is the shortest day of the year and is the exact moment when half of the Earth is tilted the farthest away from the Sun. The winter solstice is also the day that has the least amount of daytime. Every day after Dec. 21 the days will be a little longer until summer solstice, which occurs between June 20-22, according to NOAA.

On Dec. 21 your shadow looks long. My 4-year-old grandson and I noticed this long, strong shadow while we were on the horse and carriage ride in Montrose – one of my favorite holiday things to do (thank you, Montrose Shopping Park Association).

We also like to see the shadows because my 9-month-old grandson loves to watch “Bear in the Big Blue House” so we are constantly singing, “Where oh where or where is shadow?” It was great to see my little grandson connect the song with the shadow. 

The winter solstice was a time recognized by ancient civilizations as a time of change, from dark into the light. Newgrange in Ireland is a tomb-mound, built around 3200 B.C., about a thousand years before Stonehenge. A tunnel facing the solstice sunrise runs to a main chamber and a small window bathes the chamber in solstice light for 17 minutes, according to NOAA. 

I just want to point out this took some real observation and engineering skills by these ancient Irish people. 

A CNN meteorologist shared a warning for drivers to make sure they clean their windshields as they take to the roads this holiday season as they drive into the lower winter solstice sun. 

And then we have the high surf. This week local beaches saw high surf due to a storm that was occurring in the Pacific. The offshore storm never touched our shores directly but the effects were definitely seen. 

The surf peaked on Monday; however, there was high surf expected for Tuesday evening with surf as high as 18 feet expected in Ventura, and 10 to 12 feet in the South Bay Area like Redondo Beach. 

Along with the high surf there were also warnings of rip currents, which is a common thing in Redondo. 

“Rip currents are powerful, narrow channels of fast-moving water that are prevalent along the East, Gulf and West coasts of the U.S., as well as along the shores of the Great Lakes. Moving at speeds of up to eight feet per second, rip currents can move faster than an Olympic swimmer,” according to NOAA.

Although there are warnings not to enter the water during these high tides and rip currents, there will be individuals who do it anyway. Even those who are really good swimmers and expert surfers should not enter the water; however, often we have seen emergency responders going into the water to save someone who thought they could out-swim, and outsmart, the waves. 

Locally we see this a lot with the Montrose Search and Rescue team, whose members rescue “experienced” hikers who may have misjudged the terrain. 

Lifeguards rescue tens of thousands of people from rip currents in the U.S. every year, but it is estimated that 100 people are killed by rip currents annually. If caught in a rip current, don’t fight it. Swim parallel to the shore and swim back to land at an angle, according to NOAA. 

Locally, the weather is looking to be a little brisk – “sweater weather.” Today, Thursday, will bring a warming trend with temperatures rising to the low 70s by Tuesday. 

During this holiday season I hope you had time to spend with family and friends, and/or had time to just relax.