Remember back in January when the L.A. Times labeled Seattle drivers “snow wimps”? Dripping with condescension, the story began: “Color Seattle clueless. The city has always marched unarmed into its infrequent battles with snow, and Wednesday’s snowstorm was no exception.”
Keep that in mind when you think we’ve got it hard with winter still on the March. Feet of snow falling in mountain passes; multiple power outages, first 13,000 then 28,000; over four and a half inches of rain this month (true, in 2011, we saw over six inches); and did you know spring officially begins at 10:14 tonight? Neither does Mother Nature. Here’s what the National Weather Service is saying:
THE WINTER STORM WATCH FOR THE CASCADES HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO A WARNING FOR TONIGHT THROUGH LATE TUESDAY NIGHT. […] STRONG OROGRAPHIC FLOW BEHIND THE FRONT ON TUESDAY WILL KEEP SNOW GOING IN THE MOUNTAINS ALL DAY AND INTO EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. ANOTHER 1 TO 2 FEET OF NEW SNOW IS EXPECTED BY EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING.
KOMO 4’s Paul Deanno gives the local view: “Rain will move in overnight with lows staying in the low 40s, and a steady rainfall is likely throughout the day tomorrow.” With relatively balmy highs in the upper 40s, it won’t be as wintry as it has been, but wind gusts may reach 30 to 40 mph. (I know, “move in”? It’s rained fourteen of the last 18 days.)
But all that is as nothing before the fury of a SoCal storm that lasts several hours. Let the L.A. Times show you a real winter storm. Downtown Los Angeles drowned under 0.59 inches of rain, and the “California Highway Patrol reported 422 traffic collisions.” (What is it with those clueless Los Angelenos? Always marching unarmed into their infrequent battles with rain….)
14,000 people lost power, but that wasn’t the worst of it. You may want to sit down for this next part:
The storm’s continuing effects will set the stage for a cold, wet Los Angeles Marathon on Sunday, with highs around 60 — 12 to 16 degrees below normal.
OH THE HUMANITY! The next time you’re tempted to grouse about the winter weather in Seattle, take a moment, and give thanks you don’t live in Southern California. You don’t know how easy you have it.
