Another day of cold, wet weather drove away for Southern California on Thursday, and after the dry winter began, there was another beneficial moisture.
Bryan Lewis, a meteorologist with the Oxnard National Weather Service, said the storm is expected to drop to one-tenth to one-quarter of an inch of rainfall on the coast on Thursday in the coastal areas.
The weekends will dry in the high temperatures of the 60s and 70s, but not last long. There will be two more storms next week.
“These may look a little stronger than what we see [Wednesday],” Lewis said.
The rainstorm of the coming storm is not yet known.
The storm that arrives in the middle of next week will have 40% rainfall (between 1 and 2 inches). A storm can bring 30% of rain, more than between 2 and 4 inches. According to the Meteorological Services, there is a 30% chance of rainfall below.
The forecasters said that the rainfall did not cause significant damage from the storm this week, and after the dry start of hot summers and winters, it had a huge impact on dry vegetation, which helped to help one of the most destructive fire seasons in modern history.
As of 5 a.m. Thursday, it had fallen 1.18 inches on Crystal Lake in the San Gabriel Mountains and 1.14 inches in the 9th Battalion in the High Desert. The Coast is less than half an inch – Los Angeles International Airport received less than half an inch and Long Beach received 0.29 inches.
However, there is still a way for the region to reach normal rainfall levels this time of year.
As of Wednesday, downtown Los Angeles has received only 6.11 inches of rain since the water year that began on October 1. This is below the average of the water season (11.27 inches). The annual average is 14.25 inches.
“These rains will certainly help,” Lewis said. “It doesn't bring those high totals, but it still suppresses fuel and hopes to give us enough moisture to avoid longer fire seasons.”
The storm also provided fresh powder for California's mountain range until Thursday's road.
Los Angeles County officials said Wednesday they were ready to rain to strike the burning area. Palisade and Eaton Burning Scars are particularly concerned in the rain due to the risk of debris. However, according to the weather service, rainfall rates are not expected to reach levels that would trigger destructive slides during this storm.
Peak rainfall rates can range from one tenth of an inch to one third of an inch per hour, and in some areas it can reach a half inch per hour. Experts say once rains are raining at a rate of half an inch per hour, the risk of mud and debris rising from burning hillsides increases.
