Latest news with #KristanLund
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Monday morning's rain won't last, forecasters say, but the chill will
The Los Angeles area can expect light precipitation Monday morning, forecasters say. The rain, expected to begin late Sunday, will subside by Monday afternoon, but below-average temperatures will hang around all week, according to the National Weather Service. A mostly cloudy Sunday was set to segue into 'some rain movement overnight and tomorrow morning,' said Kristan Lund, a meteorologist with the federal agency's Oxnard office. 'We could see a quarter of an inch up to half an inch," Lund said Sunday, "with the highest amount in the foothills.' The heaviest precipitation is expected around 10 or 11 p.m. Sunday, she said. 'And then it will taper off and be very, very light across east county in the morning and done by late afternoon tomorrow.' The rain is not expected to affect the debris flow areas because of how little is expected. 'Thankfully, no concerns,' Lund said. The precipitation and below-average temperatures are prompted by a weather system coming in from the Pacific Northwest, she said. Although the precipitation is expected to end Monday, chilly weather is expected for several days. Across Los Angeles and Ventura counties, temperatures are expected to be five to 12 degrees below normal, Lund said. 'This will continue through much of the week, if not the entire week,' she said. 'It's closer to normal by the weekend.' Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
L.A. region to get respite with 'very low impact weather' in coming days
After a stretch of treacherous rains across the Los Angeles region and its recent burn scars, the coming days will bring a needed respite — with the National Weather Service on Saturday predicting "very low impact weather for most areas the next several days." A "warming and drying trend" is predicted through the weekend, and it could be the end of the month before any more rain comes, the weather service reported. Temperatures were expected to rise into the 60s, and maybe the low 70s in certain areas, the service said. "We're really expecting it to dry out today and tomorrow," Kristan Lund, a meteorologist with the weather service, said Saturday morning. "Everything is pointing towards being pretty dry." Read more: How climate change worsened the most destructive wildfires in L.A. history The better weather follows a wild week, with the biggest storm of the winter hitting Southern California on Thursday and packing a serious punch — causing extensive damage and life-threatening debris flows in the wake of last month's devastating wildfires. The region saw widespread street flooding and mudslides before the storm subsided Friday. The damage closed Pacific Coast Highway, where a member of the Los Angeles Fire Department was swept off the roadway and into the ocean by a debris flow before escaping his vehicle and being transported to a hospital with minor injuries, officials said. The storm gave some in L.A. and its surrounding cities a sense of whiplash, coming after an incredibly long dry stretch last year that set the stage for the January fires. Scientists say such patterns are intensifying due to climate change. Super wet weather followed by incredibly dry weather can also set the stage for the sort of wildfires that tore through the Palisades and Altadena last month, by first fueling vegetation growth, and then drying it out into perfect fuel for fire. Winds, especially the Santa Ana winds that drive hot inland air over coastal areas in Southern California, are also a major factor in fire weather. Lund said winds could pick up later next week, and there could be some strong northerly gusts, but fire isn't in the forecast — a silver lining of the recent rains. "We're not really too concerned about fire weather impacts, because of the recent rains," she said. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
26-01-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Risk rises for mudslides around L.A. County fire zones, prepare for worst-case scenario, officials warn
With more rain on the way, officials warned Sunday of an increasing risk for mudslides in Los Angeles County's burn areas, with a 10% to 20% chance of significant flash flooding and debris flows capable of damaging roads and homes in and around areas devastated by wildfires. "This is the worst-case scenario to prepare for," said Kristan Lund, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. "We do have increasing concern for the burn scars," Lund said. The charred footprint of the Eaton fire, which blackened more than 14,000 acres, is the most worrisome. "These flash floods and these debris flows could happen in and near or below these burn scars." A flood watch took effect at 10 a.m. Sunday and will continue through 4 p.m. Monday for the burned areas of the Eaton fire in the Altadena and Pasadena areas; the Palisades and Franklin fires in the Pacific Palisades and Malibu areas; the Hughes fire around Lake Castaic; and the Bridge fire in San Gabriel Mountains west and southwest of Wrightwood. The flood watch started six hours earlier than originally anticipated. 'The highest risk for debris flows would be after 4 p.m. Sunday,' the weather service said. If you're not sure you're near enough to the burn scar, "assume that you are," Lund said. However, a city like Montebello — roughly 10 miles away from the burned area of the Eaton fire — is not considered close. "If you're close to the fire, you want to be on the prepared side," Lund said. Steps people can take are to avoid being in or around the area from Sunday afternoon through Monday afternoon; using sandbags to protect property; and, for people who do decide to stay, stocking up on supplies in case road access is blocked. A 'landslide' is an all-encompassing term that can describe any movement of rock, dirt or debris downhill. A "debris flow" can happen when water rapidly flows downhill and, besides mud, picks up rocks, branches and sometimes massive boulders. This is also considered a type of shallow landslide, which can occur with potentially deadly force. Landslides are a risk after wildfires because the heat of the fire makes the soil repellent to water. When rainfall intensities are high — falling at more than one-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. "It really has to do with the track of the storm," Lund said. "They're the greatest potential for significant debris flows. They're the most recent burn scars; they're close to communities or vulnerable infrastructure." The orientation of the terrain is also vulnerable in this particular storm. The burn scars are over mountain slopes that face the south, and the moisture from the storm is being pulled in from the south, forecasters say. Those factors could cause "some more heavier rainfall in those areas," Lund said. Forecasted rainfall totals for the three-day storm continue to tick upward. Through Monday, Covina could get 1.32 inches of rain; downtown L.A., 1.14 inches; Long Beach, 1.12 inches; Canoga Park, 1.05 inches; Santa Clarita, 1.04 inches; Fillmore, 1.02 inches; Redondo Beach, 0.95 of an inch; and Thousand Oaks, 0.87 of an inch. Besides the risk for debris flow, there is a potential for waterspouts over the ocean, as well as damaging winds, and strong thunderstorms, Lund said. And heavier rain can still happen even if you don't see lightning or hear thunder. But if you do hear or see a thunderstorm, "you'll likely have higher rainfall rates," Lund said. There's a 15% to 25% chance of thunderstorms developing across a swath of Southern California that includes the recently burned areas, said Carol Smith, a meteorologist with the weather service. Thunderstorms could bring a chance of rainfall rates of half an inch per hour to three-quarters of an inch per hour in isolated areas. Rainfall rates that exceed one-half an inch per hour can trigger debris flow in burned areas. Smith said the Palisades fire burn area could see more than an inch of rainthe Eaton fire burn; could get up to 2 inches. Light rain began falling across the region Saturday night. Read more: Floods, landslides are risks as fire-scarred Los Angeles girds for rain The storm will bring the first significant rain of the year. Much of Southern California is in "severe drought" with some areas in the southern most part of the state in "extreme drought," according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Read more: With rain possible for the weekend, Bass works to shore up burn areas Officials advised residents in burn zones to use sandbags to direct runoff and protect property, clear drainage paths, heed evacuation orders and stay off roads covered with debris. They also said residents should keep trash cans and vehicles off the street to allow stormwater to travel freely and avoid contact with polluted runoff. "If emergency officials say to avoid a certain area, please do that," Smith said. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
