Here Comes The Rain, Westwood-Century City

LOS ANGELES, CA — The Southland will confront a small chance of rain Tuesday and a certainty of it on Wednesday, raising some fears of slides over denuded burn areas, including in the Cleveland National Forest in Orange County near the site of the recent Holy Fire, forecasters said.

The remnants of Hurricane Rosa -- now a tropical depression -- will not be much of a factor in the Southland's impending rain episode, said NWS meteorologist Dave Bruno. Instead, the rain will be largely a product of an upper-level low-pressure system that originated in the central Pacific and was some 500 miles west of San Francisco early Tuesday morning, he said.

Although not a monster, the approaching weather system is unusually strong for this time of the year, Bruno said, adding that the lion's share of the precipitation will crop up Wednesday between noon and midnight.

The approaching system is raising some fears of mud slides and debris flows over areas previously denuded by wildfire -- including near the site of the Holy Fire in Orange County and, in L.A. County, the La Tuna Fire near Burbank and the Creek Fire north of Sylmar -- but those concerns are not particularly acute because mostly light rain is expected, according to Bruno. However, the risk of slides will increase considerably if thunderstorms appear since they can generate heavy downpours.

Partly cloudy skies are expected Tuesday morning, followed by mostly cloudy skies Tuesday afternoon and a 20 percent chance of showers, according to a National Weather Service forecast.

A 30 percent of showers is forecast after midnight, followed by a chance of showers Wednesday morning and a likelihood of rain in the afternoon along with a slight chance of thunderstorms, when the chance of measurable precipitation will climb to a high 70 percent, according to the NWS.

Showers are expected to continue Wednesday evening, when a slight chance of thunderstorms will be in the forecast, followed by a small chance of showers after midnight.

Sunny skies are expected Thursday.

In Orange County, a 30 percent chance of showers will exist after midnight Tuesday, followed by a chance of showers Wednesday morning and a 70 percent chance of it in the afternoon, along with a slight chance of thunderstorms. Showers are likely Wednesday evening, when the chance of measurable precipitation will be 60 percent, along with a slight chance of thunderstorm.

A slight chance of showers will persist in Orange County Thursday morning before mostly sunny skies prevail in the afternoon.

Mostly cloudy skies were forecast in L.A. County Tuesday, along with highs of 73 on Mount Wilson; 76 in Avalon; 77 at LAX; 78 in Long Beach; 81 in Burbank and Downtown L.A.; 83 in Palmdale and Lancaster; 84 in Pasadena and San Gabriel; and 86 in Woodland Hills. Wednesday's L.A. County temperatures will be several degrees lower -- 9 degrees in Woodland Hills.

Partly cloudy skies are expected in Orange County, along with lower temperatures than Monday: 71 in San Clemente; 72 in Laguna Beach; 74 in Newport Beach; 80 in Fullerton, Anaheim, Irvine and Mission Viejo; and 81 in Yorba Linda. Wednesday's highs will be only a few degrees lower.

Along the coast, a high surf advisory will be in force until 9 a.m.

City News Service; Photo by Jennifer Cook