Southern California is about to get its first rain in months

After a day of high winds that helped fuel small, scattered fires across Southern California, a respite from extreme fire danger may be in sight.

Small amounts of rain are forecast between Friday evening and Saturday morning, a much-anticipated change in weather for the region, which has suffered from a prolonged dry spell that has fueled deadly and destructive fires.

Still, Southern California is not yet out of the woods when it comes to fire risk. On Tuesday afternoon, the National Weather Service extended its red flag warning — which was set to expire at 10 p.m. — until 8 p.m. Thursday due to an expected increase in wind coupled with persistent low humidity.

In Los Angeles County, where the Palisades and Eaton fires have carved a devastating path this month, less than a third of an inch of rain is expected. Rain totals could be slightly higher in the eastern San Gabriel Mountains and other locations, however, said Bryan Lewis, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

“Obviously it will be welcome to have some sort of humidity here,” Lewis said. “To end the fire season, this probably won’t be enough. But it will definitely help a little.

Although a small amount of rain would be beneficial in a drought, too much could trigger mudslides and landslides in burn scars.

“Normally, I pray for rain. God knows we usually need it,” said Los Angeles City Council member Traci Park, whose district includes Pacific Palisades. “The scar of the Palisades fire lies not only steps from the ocean itself, but also on hillsides that are already prone to slides and have already absorbed an enormous amount of water from from firefighting, broken pipes and melted swimming pools.”

“Adding water to this mess … is the last thing we need,” Park said.

On Tuesday, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued an executive order aimed at shoring up burned areas and stemming the flow of toxic debris in anticipation of the arrival of rains.

In the coming days, the city’s public works department will install barriers, remove debris and divert runoff from the stormwater system into the sewer system, where it can be treated.

“This is about preventing additional damage to areas already ravaged by fires and also protecting our watershed, our beaches and our ocean from toxic runoff,” Bass said during a news conference Tuesday.

Because the low pressure system moving toward Southern California brings with it a mass of cold air, it can create instability and the risk of thunderstorms.

But Mike Wofford, a meteorologist with the weather service, said the likelihood was low.

“I mean, that would just be the worst chance,” Wofford said. “First, we should get some convection and it should form in just the right area.”

Rain would also have to fall at a much faster rate than expected for a landslide to occur. When intense rains fall quickly, the soil quickly absorbs water and eventually reaches a saturation point where it can no longer retain moisture, thus triggering instability.

“If a quarter of an inch fell in 30 seconds, then yes,” Wofford said of the risk of landslides. “But if it extends over several hours, it’s certainly not a problem.”

As the region braces for rain, the National Weather Service’s warning of a “particularly dangerous situation” with extreme wind gusts ended Tuesday morning for swaths of Los Angeles and Ventura counties. It was the fifth time that the meteorological service had sounded the alarm this season in the event of an acute fire.

A red flag warning remains in effect until 8 p.m. Thursday, with winds expected to pick up Wednesday afternoon, peak Thursday morning and ease Thursday evening, according to the weather service. A gust of 88 mph was recorded Monday morning in the western San Gabriel Mountains at Magic Mountain Truck Trail. Wind gusts reached 70 mph in the Santa Susana Mountains Monday afternoon, Lewis said.

Dry weather will persist with humidity levels below 10% until rain over the weekend, according to the weather service.

Humidity levels in the Eaton fire zone were 3% Tuesday morning, said James White, a meteorologist working on the fire.

“It’s almost impossible to get drier than that,” he said.

A fire weather watch will remain in effect Tuesday evening through Thursday evening, with forecasters warning of Santa Ana winds and very low relative humidity for much of Los Angeles and Ventura counties. Relative humidity levels are expected to remain low – between 5% and 10% – across most of the region in the coming days, White said.

Thousands of people in Southern California were without power Tuesday as Southern California Edison instituted public safety power shutoffs, which are aimed at mitigating threats in areas where utility equipment could present a high risk of starting a forest fire.

Approximately 9,200 SCE customers in Los Angeles County are without power, and another 45,800 customers are under investigation for such power outages.

More than 9,300 SCE customers in Ventura County, 16,000 in San Bernardino County and 28,800 in Riverside County are also without power, the utility announced Tuesday morning.

Without any significant rain in the Southland for months, the landscape remains ripe for fire.

Firefighters from across Southern California raced to contain several small brush fires that broke out in the area. In Los Angeles, fires were reported in Griffith Park, Granada Hills and the Tujunga area. No homes were damaged and no evacuation orders were issued, Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said.

“LAFD has had a very busy 24 hours,” Crowley said. “There have been three other bushfires fueled by high winds and dry vegetation in the town. I am happy to report that all three fires remained very small.

Los Angeles police arrested a man after a small brush fire broke out Monday in Griffith Park below the observatory. Police sources said the man was seen starting a fire in the area. No further details were available.

The fire was reported around 1 p.m. and burned a quarter-acre, according to the LAFD.

In San Diego County, several fires were reported Tuesday.

One in Poway burned three acres before being stopped. The Pala Fire in Fallbrook burned 17 acres before it was stopped, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The Lilac Fire, which broke out at 1:19 a.m. Tuesday near Old Highway 395 and Lilac Road in Bonsall, has burned about 85 acres and forced evacuations. By Tuesday evening, evacuations were lifted and the fire was 50% contained. .

Another brush fire broke out shortly after noon Tuesday near the Fashion Valley mall in San Diego, briefly forcing the evacuation of nearby homes. Firefighters quickly brought the fire under control but remained in the area to clean up hot spots, according to the San Diego Fire Department.

Meanwhile, crews battling two of the deadliest and most destructive fires California has seen in years continued to make progress.

The death toll from the fires rose to 28 Tuesday — 11 people were killed in the Palisades fire and 17 died in the Eaton fire zone, officials said.

But officials say that figure is expected to continue to rise. There are still people missing in the fire areas, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

On Tuesday, one of those missing people was confirmed dead by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.

Edwin Cridland, 94, died at his home in Altadena from smoke inhalation and burns. He was last in contact with friends and family around 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 7, the night the Eaton Fire broke out.

The Palisades Fire footprint remained at 23,713 acres with containment at 65% as of Tuesday evening. The fire, which grew quickly in its first week amid extreme winds, destroyed 6,380 structures, according to Cal Fire.

The Eaton Fire remained at just over 14,000 acres while its containment increased from 65% Friday to 89% Tuesday. The fire carved a devastating path through the Altadena and Pasadena areas, destroying 9,418 structures, according to Cal Fire.

Operations at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, transformed for two weeks into a makeshift town for firefighters battling the Eaton Fire, will begin winding down this week. The 2,300 troops and the camp mobilized to respond to the fire will be gradually withdrawn over the next week, officials said.

“We are entering this recovery phase,” Cal Fire spokesman Robert Foxworthy said.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors discussed the fires at a meeting Tuesday and stressed the importance of securing state and federal aid to support rebuilding efforts, which could take years .

“The destruction is incredible. This has left communities completely ravaged and non-functional, potentially for a considerable period of time, as our firefighters continue their heroic efforts to complete containment of the Palisades and Eaton fires,” said Supervisor Lindsey Horvath. “We must be strategic and relentless in seeking state and federal funding and support to quickly restore communities that have burned. »

Also Tuesday, Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger asked the county to bring in an outside investigator to look into how evacuations in Altadena were carried out.

While other Altadena neighborhoods received warnings and evacuation orders shortly after the Eaton Fire broke out, records reviewed by The Times show that Altadena neighborhoods west of North Lake Avenue did not receive electronic evacuation orders until 3:25 a.m. and never received evacuation warnings.

By then, embers were raining down on neighborhoods in western Altadena and igniting homes.

“I have deep concerns,” Barger said. “There needs to be a thorough review of the life-saving emergency notifications that took place on that horrific evening. From what I’ve been told, it was a night of pure chaos for the firefighters and first responders, and then for the community.

Times staff writers Terry Castleman and Ian James contributed to this report.