Southern California residents should prepare for what could be the worst wildfire season on record due to a persistent drought and much less rain from an El Niño that was weaker than expected, officials from a variety of agencies warned Monday.

“From our perspective, each and every day is fire season for us,” Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Daryl Osby said. “El Niño? Bad news. El Niño did not occur in Southern California.” Typically the region gets between 16 to 18 inches of rain by this time of year. But so far it has gotten only 9 inches, Osby said.