Editor's Notebook: Rain a welcome relief, but hail?
How does it go again? Oh, yeah: Rain, rain, go away. Come again some other day.
No, scratch that.
Monday’s thunderstorm, with its deluge of rain and accompanying hail, was a welcome relief to this part of the South County which, in recent years, has been somewhat starved in terms of available water and seasonal rainfall.
Monday’s storm comes on the heels of a weekend that also brought rain to the Central Valley.
The only problem with Monday’s downpour, in my estimation, was its intensity. I’m concerned that the hail may have damaged some of the area’s more sensitive crops: Time will tell on that one.
OK, maybe I’m concerned that it didn’t rain for a longer period of time, at least long enough to help replenish the underground water supply.
So far we’re sitting at about 2.5 inches of precipitation since July 1, according to AccuWeather.com. That’s about a half inch below the seasonal average for this time of year but well ahead of the 1-inch mark at this time last year.
The National Weather Service is predicting the possibility of more rain in the coming days. That’s welcome news, indeed, should it materialize.
The next weather threat is a possibly hard freeze later this week, according to the National Weather Service. For farmers, that’s potentially bad news. For the area’s homeless population, it’s certainly bad news.
For the rest of us?
In this area, as the ag industry goes, so go the majority of the rest of us. And from a societal aspect, I seem to recall something in a best-selling book about the least among us.
Associate of the Year
Congratulations to Relief Desk Editor Jeff Stowe on his selection as The Recorder’s 2008 Associate of the Year.
You may know Jeff through his periodic columns on this page: A Liberal in Reagan Country. Beyond that, he’s a valued member of The Recorder team who plays a key role in getting the paper out to you each and every day.
-- Contact Editor Glen Faison at 784-5000, Ext. 1040, or gfaison@portervillerecorder.com.
