When Will It Rain, Clearing Out Smoke, Cutting California Fire Risk?

For the past week, California has been locked in a tense, daily mix of choking thick smoke and dangerously dry, windy fire-weather conditions. But an end might be around the corner. Meteorologists said Tuesday that two storm systems appear to be developing over the Pacific Ocean, with rain increasingly likely next week for most of the state. “It looks like the storm door is going to open,” said Jan Null, a meteorologist with Golden Gate Weather Services in Saratoga.