Los Angeles faces flood risks as first rains in months help battle wildfires

After months of drought, Los Angeles is experiencing significant rainfall, which helps combat wildfires but raises concerns about landslides

Parched Los Angeles is getting its first rains in months — wet weather that’s helping battle wildfires but is also introducing the risk of landslides.

The first rains in months are falling in Los Angeles; the rainy weather is assisting in the fight against wildfires but also increasing the risk of landslides.(AFP/ MARIO TAMA)

Rainfall amounts have ranged from a few hundredths of an inch to almost 2 inches (5 centimeters) over 12 hours on Sunday, according to a late evening advisory from the National Weather Service. Showers are expected to be heaviest overnight into Monday morning, the forecaster added.

Rain will help put out fires that are still burning and will make it harder for any new ones to start, but if the downfall gets much heavier, the seared hillsides that have lost vegetation are at risk of collapse. There’s a flood watch in place for Los Angeles County and several roads were closed due to mudflows.

“Our main concern is with the recent burn areas,” Joe Sirard, a meteorologist with with the weather service in Los Angeles, said Sunday by phone. “It won’t take much over the fresh burn areas to trigger mud and debris flows.”

A flood watch for the burn areas of Los Angeles County is in place through Monday afternoon, and may get upgraded to a flood warning if rainfall gets heavier. This is the first major rainfall for LA since April.

The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning Sunday for Malibu — including burn scars from December’s Franklin Fire, and the western portion of the Palisades Fire — but it was canceled just before 10 p.m. local time.

Roads Closed

A section of the Pacific Coast Highway west of Topanga Canyon Boulevard was shut due to mudflows, according to the California Department of Transportation. Near the Woodland Hills neighborhood to the north, four vehicles were stuck in mud and had to be towed, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

On the Interstate 5, parts of which were shut last week due to the Hughes Fire, California Highway Patrol escorted vehicles across the Grapevine summit under snowy conditions.

The parched hills have helped fuel a series of deadly wildfires that have destroyed thousands of homes and businesses in what’s become one of the worst natural disasters in modern US history. Firefighters are making progress as they continue to battle blazes across the region.

The Palisades Fire that has charred more than 23,000 acres is 90% contained, according to the California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection, and the Eaton Fire that scorched the community of Altadena is 98% contained. The two blazes destroyed more than 16,000 structures. So far, there are 28 confirmed deaths since the flames erupted during strong winds on Jan. 7.