L.A. County overnight temperatures plummet; NWS warns of hypothermia risk - Los Angeles Times
This cold snap will also affect areas of the interior Central Coast, San Joaquin Valley, Ojai Valley and Santa Barbara County, where the weather service has issued freeze alerts.
A gradual warmup will begin Friday as a ridge of high pressure moves into Southern California, but temperatures will remain several degrees below normal in L.A. County, according to the weather service. The warming is expected to continue through the weekend, with highs in the mid 70s predicted for the San Fernando Valley and in the 60s to low 70s elsewhere.
Meteorologists say there’s a good chance of widespread rain in L.A. County next Tuesday and Wednesday and predict that this will be a heavier rainfall than the splatter over the weekend.
“Rain rates and totals could be quite a bit higher,” said the weather service. “Certainly something to pay close attention to, especially for those near recent burn scars.”
Landslides are a risk after wildfires because the heat of the fire makes the soil repellent to water. When rainfall intensity is high — more than half an inch per hour — water can start flowing on the surface downhill instead of percolating below ground, and can begin to pick up rocks and debris.
The weekend rainfall led to minor slides and flooding in the Palisades burn area, prompting the temporary closure of Topanga Canyon Boulevard. The 14,000-acre burn scar from the Eaton fire is also an area of concern.
Clara Harter is a breaking news reporter at the Los Angeles Times. Previously, she covered politics and education for the L.A. Daily News. While at the Daily News, she published a series on fentanyl addiction that won a first-place investigative journalism award from the L.A. Press Club. Harter majored in political science and Middle Eastern studies at Columbia University. She loves surfing and, when not reporting, can most likely be found in the ocean.
