Much-need rain has begun to fall over Southern California, bringing relief to the drought-stricken region but also the threat of toxic runoff.
Areas where the Palisades, Franklin, Eaton, Bridge, and Hughes wildfires burned are under a flood watch, the weather service said Sunday. Fresh burn scar areas stand at greater risk of mudslides because they no longer have trees and vegetation providing support to the land, according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Jacob Hinson.
The Los Angeles area is preparing for its first rain since wildfires first broke out weeks ago. But too much rain at once could bring its own set of significant issues.
California's deadly wildfires could come to an end in the coming days when a weekend storm douses historically dry terrain, but the storm will come with the potential for a different problem: flash floods.
Much-anticipated rain could be headed to drought-stricken Southern California this weekend -- but rainfall also brings the threat of landslides.
The president raised the possibility of withholding aid to California unless the state changes its water policy.
The mountains and foothills of Los Angeles County are in “extreme drought” conditions, about 36% of the county, explained Pugh. That’s one category shy of hitting the highest level, “exceptional drought,” and three higher than the lowest, “abnormally dry.” The rest of the county is in severe drought.
“At no time during this fire has there been a shortage of water in southern California,” Jeffrey Mount, senior fellow at the PPIC Water Policy Center, a think tank that tracks water ...
Rain brought much needed aid to the Los Angeles firefight, moving the fires surrounding the city closer to containment.
Crews spent much of the past week removing vegetation, shoring up slopes and reinforcing roads in devastated areas of the Palisades and Eaton fires, which reduced entire neighborhoods to rubble and ash after breaking out during powerful winds Jan.
The National Weather Service said there is a 15-25% chance of thunderstorms across the region, which could bring periods of heavy rainfall that could overwhelm the burn-scar areas.