Weather in the Foothills

“It’s raining – it’s pouring …”
–The Observer, a 1909 weekly newspaper

Photo by Doug Kilpatrick Hahamongna Watershed Park & JPL
Photo by Doug Kilpatrick
Hahamongna Watershed Park & JPL

Yes, it has been raining and sometimes pouring. And after a few days’ break, it begins to rain and pour once again. The surrounding hillsides are green and swimming pools have filled to deck-level throughout the Crescenta Valley. At this point of the rain season, our rain total has exceeded the yearly average of approximately 24 inches; my gauge reads 25.18 inches. All is good where we live. Other areas in California have not fared as well. All eyes are on the stressed Oroville Dam in north central California where 10 more inches of rain are expected to fall during the week.

During a slight reprieve from the rain last weekend, we took Abby – our golden retriever with excess energy – over to The Arroyo, also known as Devil’s Gate Dam or Hahamongna. Last summer’s clear trickling stream was transformed into a muddy shallow lake. Workers with the Dept. of Public Works were out in a small aluminum fishing-type boat trying to clear debris. As the guys worked at the daunting clean-up task, a pair of Mallard ducks floated by unnoticed by the dog wallowing in the mucky storm water.

One of the workers shared with us that they were trying to keep the spillway cleared in anticipation of a water release. The Spanish had given the name Devil’s Gate to a rock formation in the gorge that resembled a devil’s face. Built in 1920, it is the first flood control dam built in LA County. Next week, weather and related history.

Two storms are brewing, one in the Aleutian Islands and the other miles off the California coast. The timing and amounts are hard to call, although forecasters are predicting rain starting Saturday night and continuing into next week. Today, Thursday, and tomorrow other than a few clouds clear skies are predicted. Use the time wisely …  clear your rain gutters. Or perhaps you need to replace your umbrella?

 

Sue Kilpatrick is a
Crescenta Valley resident and
Official Skywarn Spotter for the
National Weather Service. Reach her at  suelkilpatrick@gmail.com.