The economy depends about as much on economists as the weather does on weather forecasters. ~ Jean-Paul Kauffmann, French journalist and writer

This past week has been a beautiful one in spite of its ferocious Santa Ana winds … cool enough so you know it’s winter and warm enough so you know you’re in Southern California. The landscape of one tiny dot on the world globe tells the tale. Storm clouds were escorted out of town with only the bluest of skies left behind. In contrast trees and hillsides are mostly barren, waiting for the signal to turn green.

Until then, Nature needs to put out a bit more effort and adjust its sprinkler system. We need more rain … and it’s time to get back on track … either the Pineapple Express or by way of atmospheric river work well.

Now, before we look into the long range forecast, there’s no contesting it’s been a nice month. We all know more rain and snow is needed to bump up the season totals to normal … and by the end of the month we should start to move in that direction.

• La Crescenta’s 2021-2022 Rain Totals (thus far): 99 inches
• Normal/Average Rainfall Total for a Season: 22-24 inches

California really is a magical place where you can go to the beach in January in Northern California and, if the winds are right, it can be an amazing day. I didn’t plan it that way but the strong offshore winds on Friday were a problem for many spots but at the end of the road with those dry and warm winds we saw some 60s and low 70s near the beach.

This week is more of the same quiet weather with cold mornings and patchy fog then mild afternoons. This weekend will see more of the same.

Finally, if all goes well, next week the pattern changes. Now we all recognize that dates of the long range forecast can change a lot but very often if there is a big pattern switch it will hold for the most part.

I am seeing the ridge drift away and that storm window open. The only issue is what kind of storms? At this point they don’t look that huge but as long as it’s open it’s possible that something bigger will come. At the moment Folsom Lake is way above normal and Oroville is at 80% … but Shasta and Trinity are well below normal and need some big storms to get back on track again. We are dependent on all these sources.

So enjoy the week; it’s easy to plan and watch for daily updates as this pattern changes when more fine details, like timing and totals, come into a more clear view.