The National Weather Service issued a flood watch from 4 p. Sunday to 4 p. The NWS also issued a winter storm warning that will be in place from 4 p. Saturday to 4 p. Monday for the eastern San Gabriel Mountains, and a winter weather advisory during the same hours in the Golden State 5 Freeway corridor in the northern reaches of the county.
For the rest of the area, rain is expected to arrive early Sunday, with only light showers anticipated through Sunday morning. The exact amount of rain expected has been in flux, with some forecasts initially indicating between a quarter- and half-inch, but others calling for slightly more. Thunderstorms are also possible with the system. Pestrella urged burn-area residents who have returned to their homes to plan to stay indoors during the storm event, saying that while officials do not expect the rain to cause damaging flows that would mandate evacuations, sediment and debris will still likely flow into streets.
He said people who live in homes that back up to recently burned hillside areas can have county crews come to their homes and inspect their properties to see if any mitigation efforts are needed to protect against possible landslides.
The county Department of Public Works is the lead agency coordinating fire-debris-removal efforts following the Palisades and Eaton blazes, in conjunction with the U. Environmental Protection Agency β which is handling the first-phase removal of hazardous wastes β and the Army Corps of Engineers, which will oversee physical debris removal.
Officials with those agencies noted that preliminary work on removal has begun, but mainly with assessments and establishing temporary storage areas for debris being removed. Residents seeking sandbags for protection against possible debris flow were asked to visit the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works website at dpw. The rain will arrive as firefighters continue to make progress encircling major wildfires that have struck the region in recent weeks.
