“Weather” is a terrifying thing in Southern California. And by weather I mean anything that doesn’t fit inside the 65-80 degree and sunny with no winds margin that exists here 363 days a year. Therefore, the current storm making it’s way through the area feels like an apocalyptic level crisis. Earthquakes? No biggy. But rain? Oy vey.
What’s so unique about this storm and how and why is it wreaking havoc on the Southland? Stanford University climate scientist Daniel Swain says while most storms develop over the Pacific Ocean far from California the system that started showing its face Sunday morning developed just 500 miles west of Santa Barbara, bringing several inches of rain that flooded and closed parts of the 101 Freeway in Ventura and 13 new inches of snow expected in Big Bear by Monday morning. The National Weather Service issued flash flood warnings for parts of Los Angeles and a high wind public alert for the area with winds of 60 mph expected for some coastal and valley regions. Malibu Canyon saw winds of 65 MPH while Whitaker Peak, north of Simi Valley, saw 115 MPH winds Sunday afternoon. “The winds may well turn out to be the defining feature of this system,” the National Weather Service said Sunday morning.
Boaters in the region have been advised to stay in port through Monday, as gale force winds couple with a swell pounding the coast forecast for 15-foot waves and a total of six high-surf advisories were issued in the Los Angeles/Oxnard area alone. And perhaps the most weird of them all: a tweet from the county’s Office of Emergency Services warned Angelenos of the possibility of a “small brief tornado.” Meanwhile, in downtown LA the Fire Department’s swift-water rescue team was dispatched to save a man on and embankment of the LA river.
On the plus side, the possibility of a little more than a foot of snow in Big Bear is a welcome idea. The entire state of California has seen very few storms bringing that much snowpack in a short period through the past four years of a drought that seems like it will never end. Because yes, at this point every storm prompts us to ask “So does this mean the drought’s over?” As long as the armageddon-like driving habits don’t take over then life should be back to normal as soon as this one passes. And if you live in L.A. don’t forget the rainy day mantra, “No one go outside.”
