How's the Weather Out There?

Every time I speak with any relatives from Missouri, they always ask "So, how's the weather out there???" I always say the same thing..."It's sunny and about 70 degrees just like it is everyday." Well, the truth is that we do have "weather" other than sunshine. We often get a red asterick next to our weather forecast which means we have a "severe weather alert". We are under watches and warnings at this very minute. Oh no...it isn't an earthquake warning although it would be nice to get one of those instead of a sudden rumbling jolt. It isn't a wildfire warning...which does happen often on our sunny days. It isn't even a flash flood warning due to heavy rain...it does rain sometimes. As a matter of fact, it is supposed to rain for three days at the end of this week. We aren't used to that here...chaos will surely ensue. Here is our severe weather alert for today:

LOS ANGELES COUNTY COAST INCLUDING DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES-
1149 PM PST TUE DEC 4 2007

...HIGH SURF ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM PST THURSDAY...
...COASTAL FLOOD ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 4 AM TO 10 AM PST
WEDNESDAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LOS ANGELES/OXNARD HAS ISSUED A
COASTAL FLOOD ADVISORY...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 4 AM TO 10 AM PST
WEDNESDAY. A HIGH SURF ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM PST
THURSDAY.

...LOCAL COASTAL FLOODING POSSIBLE ALONG LOW LYING WEST FACING
SHORELINES THIS EVENING THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING...

SURF BETWEEN 7 TO 12 FEET WITH LOCAL SETS TO 14 FEET WILL CONTINUE
ALONG THE EXPOSED WEST FACING BEACHES OVERNIGHT. SURF WILL BUILD
THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING AND PEAK TO 8 TO 14 FEET WITH MAX SETS
POSSIBLY REACHING 17 FEET IN THE FAVORED LOCATIONS. THE HIGH SURF
SHOULD BEGIN TO SUBSIDE WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND DROP BELOW 10 FEET
THURSDAY MORNING. STRONG RIP CURRENTS AND LOCAL BEACH EROSION WILL
ALSO LIKELY OCCUR WITH THIS LARGE AND POWERFUL SWELL. SOME LOW LYING
SHORELINES MAY EXPERIENCE LOCAL COASTAL FLOODING...ESPECIALLY IN
CONJUNCTION WITH HIGH TIDES BETWEEN 4AM PST AND 10 AM PST.

HEIGHTS AND TIMES OF HIGHEST TIDES AT LOS ANGELES HARBOR.
WED DEC 5TH...5.6 FEET AT 610 AM PST.
THU DEC 6TH...5.7 FEET AT 635 AM PST.

ALL EXPOSED WEST FACING BEACHES WILL BE VULNERABLE TO THE HIGH SURF.
SOME FAVORED AREAS FOR HIGHER SURF IN VENTURA COUNTY WILL INCLUDE
THE BEACHES FROM EMMA WOOD TO SILVERSTRAND...INCLUDING VENTURA
HARBOR...OXNARD SHORES...AND HOLLYWOOD BEACH. ACROSS LOS ANGELES
COUNTY....OF PARTICULAR CONCERN WILL BE AREAS FROM VENICE BEACH
SOUTHWARD TO THE WESTERN PORTION OF THE PALOS VERDES PENINSULA...
INCLUDING EL PORTO...HERMOSA BEACH AND LUNADA BAY.

IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN A RIP CURRENT DO NOT SWIM AGAINST IT. INSTEAD...
SWIM PARALLEL TO SHORE UNTIL YOU ARE FREE OF THE POWERFUL CURRENT.

IT IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TO FISH OR OBSERVE WAVES FROM EXPOSED
COASTAL STRUCTURES OR ROCKS DURING HIGH SURF CONDITIONS. VERY LARGE
WAVES CAN SUDDENLY SWEEP ACROSS PREVIOUSLY DRY AREAS. SWIMMING OR
SURFING IN THESE WAVES MAY BE DANGEROUS FOR ANYONE.

A COASTAL FLOOD ADVISORY INDICATES THAT ONSHORE WINDS AND TIDES WILL
COMBINE TO GENERATE FLOODING OF LOW AREAS ALONG THE SHORE.


I don't take California and Tennessee to the beach when we are under this type of warning. They like to run next to the waves and the waves are so unpredictable that they could get swept away. We'll just wait for it to pass...