Is it just my imagination, or are people — including authorities like the National Weather Service — overly frightened of rain?
Take a look at the latest "storm warming," copied from the NWS via the Ventura County Star:
…PERIODS OF HEAVY SNOW AND STRONG WINDS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE
MOUNTAINS THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT…
A FAST MOVING COLD FRONT BROUGHT HEAVY SNOW AND VERY STRONG WINDS TO
THE MOUNTAINS EARLIER TODAY. IN THE WAKE OF THIS COLD FRONT…A COLD
AND UNSTABLE AIR MASS WILL CONTINUE TO BRING THE THREAT OF SHOWERS
AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS…(yada yada yada).
In fact, warnings yesterday of an inch or more of rain an hour have turned out to be wildly overstated.
According to the Ventura County Watershed Protection District, our area has had a total of about four inches of rain in the last five days.
Which, folks, in the midst of a drought, is good news!
(Yes, a few trees and rocks fell on various roads, a sinkhole opened at one spot in the county, some roads were closed, and surf crested the Ventura County Pier. But nobody was hurt, not even a homeless guy sleeping under the bridge by the Santa Clara River, against the advice of police.)
Now we are told by the authorities that "showers" are a "threat!"
And, apparently, "isolated thunderstorms" should make us hide under the bed.
It's good to be prepared, but this level of fear is ridiculous. Yes, occasionally it rains in SoCal, and sometimes it even floods. But in our current drought, those of us not living directly below badly burned slopes should welcome precipitation and even thunderstorms with delight.
Just as a reminder, here's what NOAA says the southwest looks like, as a percentage of normal precip, this water year.
The drought is not over. We need every drop of rain we can get. The question is — can we use this rainfall wisely, or will we just rush it to the sea as usual?
Kit Stolz 