Splash Wednesday

Posted on February 25, 2004 in Weather

A SATURATED ATMOSPHERE AND DEVELOPING STRONG SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL BRING THE THREAT OF AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL FOR SOUTH AND SOUTHWEST FACING SLOPES OF THE MOUNTAINS WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY MORNING. RAINFALL AMOUNTS UP TO 1.5 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE IN THE COASTAL AREAS AND 2 TO 4 INCHES ON THE COASTAL SLOPES AND IN THE MOUNTAINS BY THURSDAY AFTERNOON.

– Severe Weather Alert from the National Weather Service

Any minute, any second, it should hit here. The storm rolls towards us with the abandon of a wild fire. The parking lots in strip malls have emptied; no one chased me for the space I released when I took to the road.

As I dropped down El Toro into Laguna Woods, the star-ticked streets of the foothill suburbs spread from right to as far left as the advancing wall of rain where they disappeared. I pushed on the gas pedal, sped through a few yellow lights, got here before the saturated earth breathed out its dust.

There’s a Christmas Eve silence outside. Lynn comes home in two hours. I hope she will be safe.

Tomorrow morning, during the worst of it all, I have three appointments: dentist, doctor, and lawyer. My whole life.