Southern California is famously deprived of any real weather. Our seemingly endless stream of “75 degrees and sunny” days is so consistent and legendary, it has been the subject of books, films and movies. (One of my favorites is the movie “L.A. Story,” where Steve Martin plays a TV weatherman who ends up pre-recording his daily weather reports and gets away with it for months because the weather never changes).

So I guess it’s understandable when people in the Southern California weather industry feel the need to “enhance” their reports and predictions.

The latest was this year’s predicted fierce “El Nino Winter.” Through the fall, we were warned of the deluge that Southern California was about to suffer. The Channel 7 Super Duper Mega Doppler 6000 predicted torrents of Biblical proportions – a true “Noah start building that Ark” event. Anything not nailed down was going to float down to San Diego. The 909 was going to become beachfront property and Newport Beach turned to Bikini Bottom.

Of course, in typical laid-back California fashion, nature did not abide. The predicted days of torrential rain became minutes of sprinkles. Nothing floated away. Riverside is still by the river’s side. No one is living in a pineapple under the sea. And the ark-building supply stores have shuttered their doors. At least until next year.