Southern California faces several more tense days of heightened fire risk before the possible return of long-delayed rain this weekend, as gusty winds buffet a region exhausted by weeks of battling blazes.
Tuesday saw a rash of small fires erupt across San Diego County, as winds raked terrain left dangerously dry by more than half a year without significant rain. More strong winds are expected to arrive Wednesday afternoon, with the National Weather Service issuing a fire weather watch through Thursday evening. But this weekend could bring much-needed rain, with up to 0.5 inches (1.3 centimeters) forecast for the drought-stricken Los Angeles area.
"At this point, any increase in moisture and break in these winds is a good thing,” said Harry Weinman, a forecaster for the U.S. Storm Prediction Center. "The longer you have these persistent offshore winds, it just continuously dries out the fuels there.”
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.