A slow-moving storm system settled into Southern California on Sunday, bringing a reprieve from a long dry spell but also bringing the risk of landslides in areas scarred by this month's wildfires.
The showers are expected to continue into Monday afternoon, with intermittent bursts of light and heavy rain across the region, forecasters said. The rain reduces fire risk and helps keep vegetation in check due to Los Angeles' driest start to a rainy season on record.
But the National Weather Service assessed a 10 to 20 percent chance of major landslides in Los Angeles County, a sensitive region where fires devour and brush patches.
In the burn, the carbohydrates can act like slick pavement when soaked in rain, creating mudslide conditions, said Mark Chenard, a meteorologist with the service.
“It just doesn’t absorb water,” Chenard said. “It all quickly turns into a spill.”
The highest intensity rain was expected from 4pm on Sunday until 4pm on Monday, the service said. Los Angeles and Ventura counties were expected to receive up to 1 inch of additional rainfall totals, with up to 3 inches predicted for the mountains around Los Angeles.
Burn scars include areas scorched by the Palisade Fire in the Palisade-Palisades section of Los Angeles. Hearst Fire near the Sylmar area of the city. Sunset Fire near West Hollywood. Eaton Fire near Pasadena. Hughes is located near Lake Castaic. Franklin is near Malibu.
Burns outside of Los Angeles County had a 5 to 10 percent chance of experiencing landslides, the weather service said.
Residents were urged to stock up on supplies and protect property on their land. A flood watch remained in effect for Los Angeles County until Monday afternoon.
Light rain fell on Ventura County, north of Los Angeles, on Saturday evening and picked up across the region on Sunday, the service said.
The system was drifting southeast through Los Angeles County, delivering lightning and lightning to several areas, according to the service. Through Sunday afternoon, the highest rainfall rates (about three-quarters of an inch per hour) were confined to isolated areas.
More than half an inch of rain could fall in the burn scar per hour, Chennard warned.
The Los Angeles area has endured months of brutal drought, feeding this month's devastating wildfires that burned thousands of acres and displaced more than 100,000 people.
Before Saturday, there had been no measurable rain in downtown Los Angeles this year, said Accuweather senior meteorologist John Ferrick. He described the rain as welcome news.
“Generally speaking, this is beneficial rain,” Ferrick said. “That should help the fire situation a lot.”
“Now there is a risk associated with that because there is a burn scar,” he added.
