One wild December

WEATHER TIDBITS

First and foremost, Tidbits wishes everyone a peaceful holiday

season.

Don’t be mean -- be good to one another, especially through these

trying times.

Nothing dull and drab about this December! Above normal December

rain for the first time since 1997. When we got drenched with 9.89

inches.

Just about everything happened -- winds from every conceivable

direction, the entire glossary of cloud types, of course, the visual

dazzling sunsets and actual generous helpings of powdery snow.

Quite a far cry from last year’s uneventful December, or whole

winter, I should say.

As of this writing, L.A. proper has tallied up 5.5 inches,

surpassing last season’s total of 4.42 -- on pace to get 18 to 20

inches!

Yipee, no more red-alert fire season!

Last year on this date, L.A. was at 2.24 inches. It would receive

only 2.18 inches after New Year’s 2002. The 4.42 for 2001-02 is now

the driest on record -- beating the 4.85 of 1960-61.

I’ve noticed a pattern here, though. The season after a severely

dry one is wet.

The 1961-62 season caught 19.18 inches of water after the 4.85 of

1960-61,

The 1977-78 season saw a whopping 33.86 inches after the meager

6.07 inches in 1976-77.

The 1951-52 period topped out at 26.21, up from 5.95 in 1950-51.

Then there was 1971-72 with 6.09 and 21.26 in 1972-73.

The central and northern parts of our state are being blessed with

140% to 160% above normal rain and snow.

And with a hyperactive atmosphere, air quality has been

exceptional.

It froze for the first time here on the 23rd out in the canyon,

with an even 30 degrees.

Our ocean temps have really taken a beating since the middle of

the month. Now it’s 56 degrees. Time for the 3 to 4 footers.

* DENNIS McTIGHE is a Laguna Beach resident. He earned a

bachelor’s degree in Earth Sciences from UCSD and was a USAF

weatherman at Hickman AFB, Hawaii.