A pair of storms are taking aim for Southern California this week, beginning with a weaker system that’s slated to deliver up to an inch of rain to our region.
Southern California is expected to receive the remnants of an atmospheric river that’s been drenching Northern California. By the time the storm tapping into the plume of moisture in the sky arrives, however, it’ll be a tamer event.
“The rain will not be as intense as it is currently for our neighbors to our north,” NBC4 Meteorologist Melissa Magee said.
Rainfall rates will remain relatively light, reducing the risk of landslides and debris flows.
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Rain will spread in between late tonight up north and Tuesday night across the Southland. Here are the expected rainfall totals. The highest amounts are expected across northwest #SLOCounty. The chance for flash flooding and mud and debris flows is still low. #LARain #CAwx pic.twitter.com/aDzY1t5c6U
— NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) February 3, 2025
That wet weather was slowly moving in from Ventura County to Los Angeles County late Tuesday. The peak of the first round of wet weather was expected to peak Tuesday night into Wednesday.
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“During the overnight hours and for the commute (Wednesday) morning, that moisture starts to spread east out across areas in Orange County, as well as the Inland Empire,” Magee said. “Once we get into (Wednesday) afternoon, we get a bit of a break”
Wednesday may provide a day of relief from wet weather before another storm arrives late Thursday into Friday, according to Magee. The storm that’s expected to arrive later in the week may be stronger than Tuesday’s system.
Out of an abundance of caution, Los Angeles County officials are preparing wildfire-impacted communities for the rain in case mudslides occur.
The storms will mark the second significant rainfall after a dry start to the wet season in a region under severe to extreme drought that exacerbated wildfire conditions in January, contributing to the spread of two of the deadliest and most destructive fires on record in California.
Both the Eaton and Palisades fires were 100-percent contained last week after burning tens of thousands of acres. They left behind hillsides stripped of vegetation, making them more vulnerable to slides and debris flows during downpours.
Before last month's rainfall that broke a months-long dry spell, downtown LA recorded just 0.16 inches of rain this season. The average annual rainfall in downtown LA is about 14.25 inches. In the 2022-2023 wet season, the region had 28.40 inches of rain followed by 25.19 inches of rain in 2023-2024.
The average rainfall for January, historically the second-wettest month of the year in Los Angeles, is close to 4 inches.