Following an extended period of record-breaking heat that scorched Southern California and sparked wildfires, much of the state is expected to experience cooler-than-normal temperatures, rain and even early-season snow this week.
The National Weather Service issued its earliest snowfall warnings in two decades for parts of the Sierra Nevada over the weekend, and rapidly dropping temperatures and rising humidity are already providing some relief to firefighters battling three Southern California fires that have burned more than 115,000 acres and remained out of control for days.
The largest of the three, the Bridge Fire in Angeles National Forest, was 11 percent contained as of Monday morning, and the Line Fire in San Bernardino County was 42 percent contained. The Airport Fire, which started in Orange County last week and spread into Riverside County, was 31 percent contained as of Monday.
“This is a pretty good change in temperatures and a relief after that heat wave,” said Brian Lewis, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.
A series of low pressure systems is keeping temperatures 5 to 10 degrees below normal in Southern California, and drizzle is expected late Tuesday night into Thursday. Most of Los Angeles County is expected to get less than a tenth of an inch of rain, with up to a quarter of an inch expected in hilly areas.
Temperatures are expected to remain in the mid- to upper 60s on the coast and in the low to mid 70s inland. Downtown Los Angeles, which recorded 112 degrees earlier this month, is seeing a 40-degree drop in temperatures, Lewis said.
In the Sierra Nevada, about 3 inches of new snow could fall in areas above 8,000 feet from Fresno County to Yosemite by Monday night, and more could continue after that, said Antoinette Serrato, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Hanford.
“A low pressure system is bringing some pretty cold air in from the Arctic that will bring some early snow to the region,” Cerrato said.
While cooler temperatures will help firefighters, experts say it doesn’t bode well for a slower fire season.
“This is a very small event in the overall picture of the fire season,” said Robert Foxworthy, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. “Weather goes up and down with changing patterns, so the fact that we’re experiencing cooler weather right now and the fire season is slower doesn’t necessarily change the overall outcome of the fire season.”
Southern California’s most damaging and destructive fires will occur in the coming months, usually with the arrival of Santa Ana winds that can turn small fires into raging infernos.
High winds Sunday night made it difficult for aircraft to fly over the bridge fire, but crews made some progress in putting out the blaze.
Firefighters are primarily focusing on the northwest side of the fire, which is the most active, to protect the communities of Big Pines and Pinion Hills. Cal Fire said the fire is less active on the east side but still poses a danger to the Mount Baldy area.
Firefighters continued to focus efforts on the northwestern part of the fire Monday night. Cooler temperatures are expected to help firefighters minimize the spread of the fire, but winds will pose new obstacles, said Los Angeles County Fire Department spokeswoman Kenisi Hafket.
Hafket said winds were expected to shift from southwest to northwest between 4pm and 8pm on Monday, which could cause the fire to spread further and spark ignitions away from the main fire.
The fire destroyed 54 buildings and damaged 13. Three people were injured, including a civilian and a firefighter.
Wind gusts of up to 25 mph fueled the fire Sunday night near the Rhine Fire in San Bernardino County, as it continued to move through dry vegetation. The fire destroyed one building and damaged four others.
At lower elevations, cooler temperatures, higher humidity and more cloud cover are expected, creating more favorable conditions for firefighting. Areas above 5,000 feet in elevation are expected to be slightly warmer and drier. Highs are expected to be in the mid-50s Fahrenheit, Cal Fire spokesman Rick Carhart said.
“This fire is not over yet and there is still a lot of work to be done,” he said.
