Southern California is ringing in the new year with rain.
Steady rainfall spread across the region Saturday evening after a day of light rain in most areas. High wind warnings and flash flood watches were issued for some areas.
The region will see periods of moderate to heavy rain and gusty southerly winds Saturday night and into the overnight hours.
Get Southern California news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC LA newsletters.
The brunt of the storm could potentially move out of Los Angeles County by midnight, if not sooner. Lingering showers are expected to start 2023.
During the brunt of the storm, rain could fall at rates close to one inch per hour, raising the potential for mud and debris flows in burn scars. A flash flood watch will be in effect from Saturday afternoon through Saturday evening for the Fish Fire burn scar above Duarte and the Lake Fire burn area near Lake Hughes in Angeles National Forest.
The city of Duarte announced that it would move approximately 25 homes in the Fish Fire burn area into a "yellow alert'' level at noon Saturday, continuing until 10 a.m. Sunday. The alert primarily requires residents to follow rain-related parking restrictions to ensure streets are clear in the area for emergency vehicles, but it also serves as a reminder to prepare for possible evacuations if needed.
In Orange County, a voluntary evacuation warning was issued at 10 a.m. Saturday for Silverado Canyon and Williams Canyon in the Bond Fire burn area due to possible debris flows along or near the burn scar.
A high wind watch will also be in effect Saturday afternoon and evening for the Los Angeles County mountains and Antelope Valley, with winds of 25 to 40 mph anticipated, along with gusts of up to 60 mph.
Most of the precipitation should end by sunrise Sunday, expect for some potential showers on north-facing mountain slopes.
The rain is expected to taper off Sunday, giving way to a dry Monday morning for the Rose Parade and Rose Bowl game Monday afternoon. But forecasters warned that another fast-moving storm system could arrive Tuesday and continue through at least Thursday.
