Dry, warmer weather expected for L.A. region over the next week
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After a stretch of treacherous rains across the Los Angeles region and its recent burn scars, the coming days will bring a needed respite — with the National Weather Service on Monday predicting a trend of warming and dry weather.
“Pretty much rain is out of the question for the next 10 days or so,” said Bryan Lewis, a meteorologist with the weather service, on Monday morning.
The dry weather could last at least through the end of the month, Lewis said. Temperatures were expected to rise into the 60s and 70s with mostly high clouds across the region.
The California fires erupted amid extremely dry conditions. UCLA scientists say extreme heat linked to climate change was a factor in the fires’ intensity.
The better weather follows a wild week, with the biggest storm of the winter hitting Southern California on Thursday and packing a serious punch — causing extensive damage and life-threatening debris flows in the wake of last month’s devastating wildfires.
The region saw widespread street flooding and mudslides before the storm subsided Friday. The damage closed Pacific Coast Highway, where a member of the Los Angeles Fire Department was swept off the roadway and into the ocean by a debris flow before escaping his vehicle and being transported to a hospital with minor injuries, officials said. On Monday, Los Angeles County lifted evacuation warnings for fire burn areas in Malibu that were implemented during the storms.
The storm gave some in L.A. and its surrounding cities a sense of whiplash, coming after an incredibly long dry stretch last year that set the stage for the January fires. Scientists say such patterns are intensifying due to climate change.
Super wet weather followed by incredibly dry weather can also set the stage for the sort of wildfires that tore through the Palisades and Altadena last month, by first fueling vegetation growth, and then drying it out into perfect fuel for fire.
Winds, especially the Santa Ana winds that drive hot inland air over coastal areas in Southern California, are also a major factor in fire weather. Lewis said winds could pick up later this week, and there could be some strong northerly gusts, but fire isn’t in the forecast — a silver lining of the recent rains.
“With the recent rain, there’s not a whole lot of concern for any significant fire weather,” Lewis said.
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