Enough showers, how about some flowers? Insane weather patterns in California impacts students

Rain from Page 1 at the Central California Coast causing tremendous rainfall, with much flooding, as well as damage from the high winds associated with these storms,” Kemp said. “As these storms move inland they are still carrying a lot of moisture that falls as snow at higher elevations where the temperatures are below freezing, producing dozens of feet of snow in the Sierras. These snow events have been quite significant in the San Bernardino Mountains east of Los Angeles, where several back-to-back snow events produced up to 12 feet of snow.”

These surplus quantities of snow and rain appear daunting to those trying to navigate highways and busy cities, but they’ve proven to be a valuable solutions to this year’s drought problems. In a recent statement from the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom, California’s governor announced the benefits of the current rainy season pertaining to California’s drought problem.

“Governor Gavin Newsom today rolled back some drought emergency provisions that are no longer needed due to current water conditions, while maintaining other measures that support regions and communities still facing water supply challenges, and that continue building up long-term water resilience.”

The snow has also drastically increased, with some ski resorts planning to stay open until June. Kemp shared his thoughts about the high records of snow.

“I like hearing about records that are broken by such weather, such as Mammoth Mountain receiving more than 800 inches of snow at the summit this winter,” Kemp said. “I think a few other California ski areas had record or near-record single snow events or snow accumulations.”

Despite all of the benefits the rain is bringing to San Diego, the damage from these winds and rain is something that has been impacting the USD community. Some students are struggling to manage the unexpected weather turnout. USD junior Camden Crook found herself in a tough situation before the school year even started due to the excess rain.

“The first couple weeks before school we had a massive amount of rainfall in San Diego. I am living off campus on Mission Beach this semester, and my roommates and I were actually kicked out of our house because of the rain. The excessive rainfall uncovered a mold problem within the walls of our home. We had to leave of course, and it forced all six of us to couch surf the first week of school, which was brutal. This past week of rain has just brought back those memories of being evicted. So has the rain done much good? In many ways, yes it has. But for my friends and I? I would say no, it has not.”

For USD senior Zoe DeBroux, the issues of the rainfall are negatively impacting her last couple months living in San Diego.

“I think the biggest problem for me is the flooding,” DeBroux said. “I live and work in South Mission Beach, and the flooding on the streets as well as any pedestrian area is pretty intense, in fact it makes the boardwalk pretty unwalkable. Where I work, we have had to close for multiple days before just because there is three feet of standing water on the ground, which is pretty crazy and unlike anything I have seen before.”

Despite the issues of flooding, DeBroux recognized positive impacts of all the rainfall.

“I think it is awesome for the plants and San Diego, especially since we are in a drought right now. I think it is great that in some ways we are able to mitigate that with a lot more water. The downside is that it is pretty evident San Diego infrastructure isn’t the best or made for a lot of rain. There has been a lot of flooding everywhere. It is also a bummer that it messes with the normal, sunny beach days we experience in March. A lot of us, myself included, are ready to have some much warmer days.”

The current season of rain may have been unexpected for most San Diego residents, but that is not to say some are not making the most of the situation. DeBroux shared what she has been doing in an attempt to turn a rainy day around.

“I have been going on rain runs, which has been a new sort of fun. I have just been turning all my outdoor activities into