An early season storm pulled into the LA region today. It should dump rain tonight and tomorrow. I, for one, couldn’t be happier about it.
(Well, except for the fact that LAites have, yet again, forgotten how to drive in the rain. Of course, they lose that knowledge in between seasons storm systems clouds raindrops, so I’m not especially surprised about that.)
I don’t get the same feeling from storm systems that I do from June Gloom. The sky of a storm system isn’t like the flat, colorless arch of the gray sky of June Gloom. A sky which lasted, off-an-on, all throughout the cooler-than-normal summer, which no doubt has contributed to my general malaise this year.
Storm systems are more dynamic. The clouds move. They change. There’s shapes and colors and shading and, occasionally, a striking patch of blue when the clouds part above you. It’s a dynamic quality that doesn’t bring me down the way the featureless gray slate of the marine layer does.
Maybe I’d feel differently if I lived somewhere where it rained for weeks on end (I’m lookin at you, Portland/Seattle/Vancouver). Storms in California tend to be temporary things, seperated by cool, clear, blue sky days. It’s how it was for me growing up, and whether I’ll ever be able to get truly used to another weather pattern, I don’t know. Would days of rain be better, worse, or the same as June Gloom in its effect on my mood? It’s hard to say.
Whatever the case, let’s face it: they can’t all be sunny blue-sky days at 78 degrees and a nice breeze. Given the choice between roiling storm clouds and a flat, featureless gray sky, though? I’ll take the stormy day.
The GeekHiker 
I like going out and getting caught in the rain. Especially since the invention of waterproof mascara.
I hope you got a terrific storm!
By: missmccracken on October 14, 2009
at 5:04 am
Happy rainy day, GH. May the drops be many and the floods be few.
By: Homer-Dog on October 14, 2009
at 6:36 am
“Whatever the case, let’s face it: they can’t all be sunny blue-sky days at 78 degrees and a nice breeze. Given the choice between roiling storm clouds and a flat, featureless gray sky, though? I’ll take the stormy day.”
Hehehe, can we switch places? It’s been rainy and crappy here and switched from the high 60s to low 50s and cold cold cold gray sky. I hate this time of year. It makes me miserable. If we could switch places you could have your delightful rainy days whenever you wanted them from october-march. 🙂
Sometimes it rains clear through the entire month! 🙂
By: cripkitty on October 14, 2009
at 7:19 am
Ha, I thought it was always sunny in LA. Was it Conan that had a funny skit about the rain in LA last night?
Hmm, seems the weather has been less than ideal most everywhere…MN has been in the 30’s/40’s and snowing, which is unusual for early Oct. It seems to have skipped autumn altogether here. My brother, who lives in Seattle now, says he prefers the cold of MN to the constant rain he deals with, and he’s prone to malaise as well. Anywho, gray skies with or without precipitation never do much for one’s mood.
By: s'dizzle on October 14, 2009
at 7:46 am
Well… I love the soothing sound of rain, but living with it from Oct to sometimes even June? Not as fun/poetic/beautiful as you fantasize it to be! It’s GRAY sky every day, clouds hanging low, having NOTHING to do outside (I hate the gym but I will have to get back to it one of these days. Sigh…) unless you really like getting drenched and muddy. Oh the list goes on…
Sure it’s cool and green and even romantic in a melancholic desolate kind of way (watch the movie Feast of Love), but there is only that much melancholy you can take (that’s why we have so many coffee houses and strip clubs! LOL!).
Alas, I guess as humans, we have the tendency to be dissatisfied with what we have, assuming the clouds are prettier on the other side of the state line 🙂 But if I had the freedom, I’d seriously consider somewhere sunnier. Not LA though (no offense…) but somewhere with more blue skies.
By: K on October 14, 2009
at 7:56 am
heheh – I’m from Florida so I really don’t consider that a storm, but I agree that it is better than June gloom! Though, we got about 1/2 inch of rain yesterday and it knocked out our power for SIX hours!!! Thank God there are no hurricanes here!
By: Starry-Eyed Barefoot Bride on October 14, 2009
at 10:28 am
Normally, I’m not a fan of the rain – but this storm has been really nice. I smiled to myself several times in the night as I tossed or turned and heard it coming down outside my window. Dang it – I guess London got to me after all…
By: Mel Heth on October 14, 2009
at 1:00 pm
We don’t get storms that often So I’m always happy when we get them. Especially when I can stay inside and enjoy them…
By: Jean on October 14, 2009
at 2:03 pm
Watching storms roll in is truly exciting. We’re expecting some heavy rain tomorrow. Rain is not nearly as much fun in the city when streets and subway stations flood.
By: Dingo on October 14, 2009
at 6:21 pm
I like any kind of rain. And I like gray skies. I think maybe i’m a little weather-weird. I like all weather pretty much. So I’m in a good place then, we get it all. Meh. Its just weather. It’ll change before you know it or have a chance to get used to it.
By: Cmacc on October 14, 2009
at 8:09 pm
MissMcCracken – Well, remember you’re talking to someone who likes hiking in the rain! Never had to worry ‘bout mascara, though. Life is just tougher for women, methinks.
Homer-Dog – I had no idea you were such a poet!
CripKitty – Uh, did you read the paragraph immediately preceding that one? Or you could just move out west…
S’Dizzle – I’ll have to look for the skit. It has been a weird year, weather-wise.
K – Oh, I know the gray days (just follow the link above). Weirdly, the gray doesn’t bug me as much if there’s actual rain falling! Plus, you guys don’t have this blasted drought…
Starry-Eyed Barefoot Bride – Heh, given how low the reservoirs are, we could use much more rain!
Mel Heth – So, now you’re planning to move back?
Jean – Inside is cool, but have you tried hiking in the rain?
Dingo – Yeah, underground trains might not be the best idea in that case…
Cmacc – I think I’m like you, I like variety
By: geekhiker on October 14, 2009
at 10:29 pm
I’m not sure that it’s tougher now that we have waterproof mascara.
I would go hiking just so I could buy new shoes. I don’t have hiking shoes, just work boots and sneakers, and while both are okay, they’re not ideal
By: missmccracken on October 15, 2009
at 11:25 am