WET WINTER: Tuesday’s storm (B1) may be...

WET WINTER: Tuesday’s storm (B1) may be a taste of things to come . . . if you believe the Old Farmer’s Almanac. The weather-predicting publication says January will feature “frequent cold waves and abundant moisture” in California. But Mother Nature better hurry to beat the Valley’s January record set in 1969, when 14.16 inches fell in Burbank.

SUNSTRUCK: The Earth may be closest to the sun today (91.4 million miles), but Stephen Walton of the CSUN / San Fernando Solar Observatory still has trouble making some students see the light. . . . “One of the most common misperceptions of the change of seasons is that it’s caused by our closeness to the sun,” he says. “Right now, we’re closest to the sun and having winter. The change is caused by the tilt of the Earth’s axis.”

BLOOD FLOW: Olivia Garcia (above) was a welcome sight Tuesday in the Red Cross Blood Donation Center in Van Nuys. . . . The center has a dangerously low shortage of Group O and B donors. Valley donations dipped from 1,004 units in December, 1993, to 871 units last month. Red Cross spokeswoman Christine Fleming says 1995 looks bleak.

TEXAS TWANG: For the first time, the Shrine All-Star Football Classic will import Texas prep standouts to play California’s finest. . . . But abandoning the traditional Northern versus Southern California rivalry to beef up flagging interest frustrates Monroe High Coach Fred Cuccia: “Nobody knows those kids from Texas and how many people from Texas do you think are going to come?” (C6)

POWER ARRANGER: When the 104th Congress convenes today, the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers--filmed in Valencia--will perform for youths across the street from the Capitol. . . . Entertainment organizer Rep. Howard P. (Buck) McKeon (R-Santa Clarita) also booked country-Western singer Lee Greenwood for the evening and advised invitees to expect a “cowboy flavor.”