Weather watch

Wind gusts from the south at 20 to 30 mph hit us last night and the nearly non-stop rain continued. This makes it hard to get out of bed in the morning – it's dark and the constant pitter-patter of rain lulls me to sleep. When I finally got up and took a shower, I opened the bathroom window and was greeted by a sideways wall of cold rain. Burrrr!

Still, I've got it easy. I slip on my rain clothes, grab a medium black coffee from Sutter's Mudd and go about my business. The wind and rain just add a little adventure to the day and some interesting photo opportunities. For example, the other day I walked the dog down to the banks of the Mad River and stood a couple feet away. The river was cresting its banks and washing chunks of McKinleyville downstream. Giant logs and tree trunks whipped by us. There's something mesmerizing about a churning river, and not just to me. There was a small crowd that came and went that day, walking down and gawking at the rising river. It was better entertainment than anything on TV.

Some complain about this kind of weather, but a lot of folks love it, even though they might not admit it.

But the guys who've got it rough are the Public Works, Caltrans and law enforcement crews who are working day and night to keep the roads open and to keep people from accidently killing themselves. Based on what I hear on the scanner, there are stranded motorists, landslides, downed trees, flooded ditches. homes filled with water and downed power lines. In addition, there's the regular stuff – wife beaters, suicidal subjects, nutcases, thieves, etc. They never take a vacation or give law enforcement a break to deal with natural disasters.

As of this evening, the Redwood Curtain has descended on Humboldt County. Highway 101 is closed at Confusion Hill. State Route 299 is closed between Arcata and Willow Creek due to a landslide. Earlier today Highway 101 was closed south of Crescent City due to downed trees across the roadway. That means that for a time today we were trapped in Humboldt. No exit, no entrance. I may still be that way. Information is sporadic, despite the best efforts of all involved.