Locals, visitors brace for weekend rain
“When it rains in California, that’s like having six inches of snow in New York,” said Leonard Stowell, who visits Palm Springs several times a year.
For those used to our trademark sunny weather, the imminent storm is ruffling some plans.
“I’m going to avoid the weather. I’m going to stay put until it goes past us,” Stowell said.
Janet Bean is visiting from Chicago and is used to her fair share of bad storms. Her ears are fine-tuned to weather alerts and our recent forecasts caught her attention.
“I heard them predicting one inch, which seems minute to me but I assume in this area that’s a tremendous problem,” Bean said.
And she’s right, with potential for flooding and problems on roadways many prefer to air on the side of caution.
“I know enough to stay off the roads for a while,” Stowell said.
Still, others say it’s no big deal.
“Rain’s just one of those things where we’re just eh, so it’ll be wet,” said Sara Swick, resident of Yucca Valley.
The worst of the storm is expected to last just one day,and local business owners say they can handle that.
“They’ll still come. They hope to park close, maybe they won’t be walking up and down the street as much but, you know, for the most part, one day is ok,” said Joy Meredith, owner of Crystal Fantasy on Palm Canyon and President of Main Street Palm Springs.
For those visiting, they’re just waiting to see how bad it gets. Whether to stay in their hotel room or not is something they’ll play by ear.
“If it’s pouring rain we’ll stay in, if it’s just a little rain that’s not something that’s going to stop someone from Chicago, we’ll get our umbrella and go anyway,” Bean said.
Photos: Rainbows and storm clouds on the horizon