The Rains in Southern California

Los Angeles, April 16, 2006 (Easter Sunday)--It has been raining on and off in Southern California since December. The land of sunshine, the land of fruits and nuts, and the land of the loons has become the land of the wet and soggy ones.

The only good news is that Southern California has been spared the terrible storms that have hit Northern California, Oregon, and Washington in recent days and the devastating tornadoes that have ravaged the Midwest and South in recent weeks.

I remember meeting a family from back East in the early 1990s who were terribly disappointed because they had experienced nothing but rain during their first of two weeks vacationing in Southern California. "We should have gone to Florida!", the mother said to me. "All we've been able to do here is go to movies and visit indoor shopping malls. We could have done that in Ohio."

Whenever people think of Southern California, they often recall the song, "Oh, It Never Rains in Southern California." Don't believe it! It does rain out here, although not like it has in recent months.

Usually, however, the rains are light rains and last for only a couple of hours. Total rainfall is often less than an inch. And we can go months without any rain. But not this year. We have experienced considerable rain in December, January, February, March, and April.

I know that other parts of the country have been experiencing far worst weather than we have. We've been lucky out here. Very lucky.

The real downside to rain in Southern California is that most residents don't know how to drive when it's raining. They slip and slide all over the place. Fender benders and freeway jams skyrocket. It is much easier navigating the expressways of Chicago than the freeways of Southern California, especially during the rain.

"I turned right, but my car turned left," Southern California motorists often say in complete disbelief.

When will they ever learn?