The first significant rainfall in several months will spread across Southern California on Sunday, giving a badly needed sip of water to an area parched by drought and devastated by multiple raging wildfires.
But with the rain comes a cost: potential mud and debris flows where the scars remain from those wildfires that have scorched tens of thousands of acres and left neighborhoods in ruins. An upper-level low swinging in off the Pacific Ocean produced a few showers on Saturday, but rain rates were less than a tenth of an inch per hour. Rain showers will increase in intensity and coverage as the low pushes inland on Sunday afternoon and the atmosphere becomes more unstable.
There is also a threat of some small hail and locally high wind gusts. Flood Watches are now in effect from 4 p. Sunday through Monday afternoon for potential flash flooding in the burn-scar areas left behind by the deadly Palisades and Eaton fires, as well as the charred areas from the recent Franklin, Hughes and Bridge fires.
In addition, soils inside burn scars can contain significant amounts of mud, boulders and vegetation. The burned landscape, littered with broken water mains, and the influx of water from firefighting efforts have further destabilized hillsides in the region.
That includes fire engines, rescue helicopters and a swift water rescue team. About a half-inch to an inch of rain is expected around the Los Angeles area by the end of Monday, with inches of rain in the mountains, though the higher elevations will pick up some snow.
