Southern California faces several more tense days of heightened fire risk before the possible return of long-delayed rain this weekend, as gusty winds buffet a region exhausted by weeks of battling blazes.
Tuesday saw a rash of small fires erupt across San Diego County, as winds raked terrain left dangerously dry by more than half a year without significant rain. More strong winds are expected to arrive Wednesday afternoon, with the National Weather Service issuing a fire weather watch through Thursday evening. But this weekend could bring much-needed rain, with up to 0.5 inches (1.3 centimeters) forecast for the drought-stricken Los Angeles area.
“At this point, any increase in moisture and break in these winds is a good thing,” said Harry Weinman, a forecaster for the U.S. Storm Prediction Center. “The longer you have these persistent offshore winds, it just continuously dries out the fuels there.”