Tag Archive for: Weather

California Areas Torched By Wildfires Face New Dangers—Flooding and Mudslides

The rain that’s forecasted for later this week may give California some much-needed relief from the deadly and destructive wildfires plaguing the state. But too much sudden rainfall may pose its own dangers for land that has been burned. The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood watch for the Butte County area, which is fighting the Camp Fire, for Wednesday afternoon through Friday morning. The warning states that there’s a chance of heavy rain which could trigger “flash floods, rockslides and/or debris flows” in a areas near the fire.

Upcoming Pattern Change Will Bring Much-Needed Rain To California And Warmer Temperatures To Central U.S. As Northeast Shivers

A pattern change is expected to take place this week that will bring long-awaited rainfall to the West, including California, and relief from the blasts of cold air in the central United States. For much of November, a southward dip in the jet stream has been in place over the central and eastern U.S. This has brought rounds of cold air, along with periods of rain and snow. In the West, the dominant pattern has been dry and mild conditions due to an upper-level ridge of high pressure near the West Coast.

Santa Ana Winds Hitting San Diego Hard For Second Straight Day, Over Wider Area

Five rural East County school districts will be closed on Tuesday and SDG&E turned off power to more of its customers due to a second straight day of powerful Santa Ana winds and an elevated risk of wildfires. Before dawn on Tuesday, the wind had already gusted to 86 mph at Sill Hill, an isolated peak in the Cuyamaca mountains, southwest of Julian. Alpine hit 65, mph Descanso reached 56 mph, Julian hit 42, mph and Carlsbad recorded gusts to 38 mph.

Winter Forecast: Warmer Temperatures with Average Rainfall

Average rainfall and warmer temperatures, that’s what the San Diego office of the National Weather Service is forecasting this winter. With a few windows of opportunity for significant precipitation from December to March, it will be a warm and dry winter with more Santa Ana winds expected, according to City News Service. The National Weather Service predicts that San Diego’s best chance for rain in the near future will be in mid-November.

California’s Dry October Could be a Sign of More Concentrated Rainy Seasons

The first part of fall has been dry so far in California, and that trend might continue. UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain said it’s not unusual for rain to be scarce in October, but that dry conditions – like the ones forecast over the next few weeks – are increasingly being pushed deeper into autumn. “We expect there to be a further concentration of California’s already narrow rainy season into even fewer months during just the middle of winter,” Swain said, as laid out in his recent blog post. Swain’s research suggests this trend is already evident, especially in Southern California.

Santa Ana Winds to Howl, Blowing Away Spooky Fog Before Halloween

Southern California is getting a taste of fall weather, with spooky dense fog early in the week and howling Santa Ana winds picking up just in time for Halloween. A low, dense fog blanketed much of Southern California on Monday morning, bringing cool weather from Los Angeles to San Diego. In the San Diego region, the widespread fog decreased visibility to less than a quarter-mile and prompted the National Weather Service to issue a hazardous-driving warning. The fog, caused by a shallow marine layer and a lack of wind, was less widespread in the Los Angeles area but was thick along the county’s coast.

NOAA Predicts a Warmer, Wetter California Winter due to Weak El Niño

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted Thursday a mild winter with warmer, wetter weather likely for much of the country from December through February due to a developing El Niño. California is likely to see hotter-than-average winter temperatures, while parts of Southern California could also get greater precipitation, according to NOAA. Drought conditions may worsen in much of Southern and Central California, although the north coast of California may see some relief, according to NOAA.

Another Hot and Dry Winter for LA?

Los Angeles is in for another hot winter, with little chance for relief from drought conditions that now exist throughout California, according to a new forecast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. That’s in spite of a probable El Niño event, which could bring above-average rainfall to the southwestern United States. The NOAA estimates that there’s a 70 to 75 percent chance that an El Niño develops in late fall or early winter, but it’s likely to be a weak El Niño, meaning that it’s less likely to bring higher than average rainfall to Southern California.

Fire Danger To Persist Into Midweek In Southern California

While the peak wind speeds are in the past with the season’s first Santa Ana wind event, gusty winds and a heightened fire threat will persist into Wednesday across Southern California. Santa Ana winds are dry, gusty winds that blow towards the shore from inland desert regions, typically across Southern California during the autumn months. While travel disruptions, flight delays and the risk of property damage and power outages will diminish on Wednesday, the dry air and a breeze will continue to cause some problems.

California Utilities Restoring Power After Intentional Cuts To Tens of Thousands Due To Extreme Fire Danger, Santa Ana Winds

California utilities are restoring power to tens of thousands of customers after intentionally cuts due to extreme fire danger and Santa Ana winds, which may persist into Tuesday. Just over 31,000 customers remained without power in California early Tuesday morning, according to poweroutage.us. A woman was killed Monday morning when high winds blew a tree on a vehicle the woman was inside in Tustin, about 35 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles in Orange County, KABC-TV reported.