For the first time in many years, Southern California has had a true winter. Due to consistent rain showers and windy conditions, the school body has dealt with sports cancellations and flash flood warnings, causing a temporary shift in students’ daily routines. Although some have seen the rain as an inconvenience, it was highly necessary in bringing SoCal farther away from its long-standing drought.
After days of heavy rainfall at the start of the year, the HW Broadcast Notification System alerted students and faculty of a school closure caused by flooding on Jan. 10. This announcement called for a day of virtually conducted classes on both campuses as a safety precaution. For many living in California, this was the first time experiencing a school closure due to weather conditions.
According to climatologist Michael Anderson, California has already reached nearly 20 inches of rain this year, a number that will continue to increase as the weeks pass. Multiple days of team practice and sports games have been forced to a pause as a result of the rain. However, as the winter season comes to a close, coaches are hoping to return to consistent practices.
Athletic director Scott Bello said that outdoor sports such as baseball, softball, and tennis have had to cancel practices up to three times a week due to slippery court conditions.
“We try to reschedule [the practices] so we’re not totally missing them but we still have some sports where we haven’t been able to make up cancelled games yet,” Bello said.
Bello said that despite the frustration that this has brought forth, the athletic department is working to make up for the missed time, ensuring that the teams stay on track.
“This has been a really tough winter for us,” Bello said. “It’s hard on [the students], they work hard, they practice hard, they want to play the game. When things happen where they’re not able to do that, I think it’s a little upsetting. But I think in the long run, we have to realize that it’s Southern California and we don’t run into this very often.”
In addition to the rain, the North Faring campus received a few flakes of snow on Mar. 1. The community was thrilled about the rare Los Angeles sight, gathering around the Commons in excitement.
Lydia Gugsa ’26 shared her experience of seeing snow at school.
“I was with my friends in the ninth grade lounge, and I was looking outside and I saw what I thought was hail, but I was like, ‘that’s too soft to be hail’,” Gugsa said. “I went outside and everyone was getting out of their classes and saying, “Oh my gosh, it’s snowing!’”
In the coming weeks, the forecasts predict more rain, but as skies begin to slowly clear up, it seems as though the storm has passed.
