Rain forecast for Southern California could bring mudslide risk amid fires

Rain and cooler temperatures will bring relief to Southern California this weekend, after a prolonged stretch of dry and windy weather that allowed wildfires to thrive.

The descending landscape between Los Angeles and San Diego has seen no significant precipitation so far this winter, providing plenty of dry vegetation to fuel fires. A forecast for the storm system to move through the area Saturday through Monday will change that.

But there’s also a slight chance the rain could be heavier – up to half an inch per hour, said Brian Hurley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. This could trigger flash flooding and mudslides in places scarred by the Palisades, Eaton and Hughes fires, and in areas burned by small blazes over the past two weeks.

Winds remained quite strong Thursday, necessitating another round of red flag warnings. But the warm, dry pattern and Santa Ana winds will begin to move in Friday, with a coastal sea breeze pushing cool moist air from the ocean. Light showers could fall as early as Saturday afternoon in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, where fires are still burning.

The greatest chance of rain will come on Sunday, with light showers increasing into Monday. Parts of Los Angeles, including downtown, could see up to an inch of rain, said Brian Lewis, a weather service forecaster in Oxnard, California.

“We don’t expect high precipitation rates unless a thunderstorm passes right over that area,” he said, adding that there was a 10 to 20 percent chance of isolated thunderstorms.