As flash flood warnings riddle the news and my windows are berated by winds and rain, it’s hard not to feel discontent towards the upcoming storm.

When the weather is bad, everyone knows to steer clear of highways, as California is not known for skilled drivers, especially in the rain.

While most of us might believe rain to be a myth in the Golden State, there are plenty of benefits to it that we haven’t considered. Sure, the commutes might be longer, and we have to momentarily retire our shorts and flip flops, but there’s a lot of positive things to consider with the oncoming storm.

The Sierra Nevada mountain range has already received more snow since the beginning of 2017 than it did all last year. With fresh powder packing the slopes, skiers are swarming the area to take advantage of the situation.

Accumulating snow isn’t the only accomplishment of the storm, as it’s been a great benefit to the environment. Chico Creek is flowing through the campus, the trees are growing and everywhere is green.

The most important impact of the storm isn’t the snow or landscaping it provides, but the drought relief. The 350 billion gallons of water to previously dried up reservoirs that the rain has brought is a major benefit to our water deprived state.

Although it can be difficult to see the bright side of the gloomy skies, there’s no reason that the rain should be perceived as a bad thing. Rather than focus on the bad drivers and change in attire, celebrate all the environmental improvements and go hit the slopes.

Kyra Stemplinger can be reached at [email protected] or @TheOrion_News on Twitter.