“Some things arrive in their own mysterious hour,

On their own terms and not yours,

To be seized or relinquished forever.”

~ Gail Goodwin, American author & inspirational speaker

Better late than never… In this case, the old proverb is true. Our chance for rain has increased, due to El Niño’s much anticipated, albeit late, arrival. Last week, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center declared a weak borderline El Niño condition finally developed over the Pacific Ocean equatorial region. Our rainfall total, thus far, is 8.54 inches. Normal is between 18-24 inches. So, welcome back El Niño. Feel free to stay for a while as the weather is perfect and the natives are friendly!

If the drought was not a concern, I could enjoy these breezy, warm days even more. Daylight saving time began. The mornings are now filled with the lingering night, just until sunrise, while the evenings stretch far beyond sunset in their light.

One of the first and most notable mentions of embracing the daylight was made by Ben Franklin in 1784 while living in Paris, France. He took notice of the hours of daylight wasted by the people there as they slept late during the summer months. A letter written to a Parisian journal expresses his feelings and suggestions on this matter. He included estimates of the cost savings if the entire population got up from bed an hour or two earlier. His writings did not mention moving the hour hand on the clock forward. Ben’s ideas were more along the lines of enforcement, such as rationing the sale of candle wax. On a kinder note, to encourage earlier wake-up times churches should ring their bells at sunrise. I think we should propose the latter to the CV Town Council.

Rain. Some cool news here before it gets really hot!

Average rainfall is possible with El Niño’s late return. Be it March and not October, the rain season is almost over for 2014-15. If the southwest does not receive the precipitation now, meteorologists are hopeful the El Niño conditions will carry over into the 2015-16 rain season.

The calendar may read mid-March, but not the thermometer. An unseasonably hot air mass will move over Southern California with peak influence Saturday and Sunday; temperatures reaching 100 degrees are possible. By the middle of next week an onshore flow with cooler spring-like weather is forecast.

With fluctuating weather conditions, preparation is vital. Be it sunscreen, water or umbrella, keep in mind the extended daylight. Abby’s dog leash now hangs by the front door (next to the umbrella) in anticipation of an evening stroll.

Sue Kilpatrick is a

Crescenta Valley resident and

Official Skywarn Spotter for the

National Weather Service. Reach her at  suelkilpatrick@gmail.com.