Will SoCal's Incoming Storms Be Enough To Quell Fire Season?

LOS ANGELES, CA — After an exceptionally dry start to winter that left Southern California parched and primed for wildfires, the first of two "pineapple express" storms hit the region Wednesday after the storm pounded Northern California with a record-setting 17 inches of rain in some areas.

While the first storm weakened significantly by the time it arrived in the Southland, the two systems will bring much-needed rain just days after the Eaton and Palisades fires were fully contained. The two catastrophic wildfires incinerated entire neighborhoods of dry Los Angeles and killed nearly 30 people.

A second-atmospheric-fueled storm is expected to come on the heels of the first, reaching Southern California on Thursday and last through Friday. Another and potentially wetter storm is expected in the middle of next week.

This week, during the peak of Wednesday's storm, parts of LA County could see less than half of an inch of rain. Riverside, Orange and San Diego counties could see even less rain.

This weeks' storms are expected to help quell wildfire risk throughout the parched area. But will the storms be enough to help SoCal end a particularly devastating and costly fire season?

Mike Wofford, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, told the Washington Post that it isn't likely.

"Unless this one overperforms, I don’t think we’ll be able to end fire season down here," Wofford told the news outlet. "We’d have to probably get at least two or three inches out of this, and a lot of areas probably won’t get that."

READ MORE: After 17+ Inches Of Rain, 3rd Atmospheric River Ahead For The Bay Area

The two storms — one that arrived Wednesday and the other Thursday and Friday — are expected to bring between 0.5 to 1.75 inches of rain for LA and Ventura counties.

Early estimates suggest most areas will see moderate rainfall, with about an inch in coastal and valley regions and two to three inches in the foothills and mountains. Forecasters said the upcoming storm will see snow levels at or above 8,000 feet.

The systems are expected to weaken significantly by the time they get to SoCal after first wreaking havoc in Northern and Central California, triggering mudslides and dumping nearly a season's worth of rain in some areas.

But there is hope on the horizon for another storm to arrive next week between Feb. 12 and 15, Ryan Kittell, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service told the LA Times. It isn't clear yet how much rain that storm could bring but the projections are becoming "wetter and wetter," Kitell told the newspaper.

“Don’t let this week kind of lull everyone into the belief that we can handle any rain that comes,” he said. “We still have a few storms to go for the winter.”

On Tuesday, rain hammered NorCal — triggering a mudslide that pushed a house into the Russian River in Sonoma County. Meanwhile, flood watch warnings were in place for much of the Bay Area, according to the National Weather Service.

The storms will be only the second significant rain event since the rainy season began in SoCal.

While the rain outlook seems bleak amid La Niña conditions — which tends to leave SoCal dry and bring more rain to NorCal — forecasters are hopeful that more moisture will slow fire spread and make the landscape less flammable.

“It will vastly improve from what we had last month,” said Kristen Stewart, a meteorologist with the Southern California Geographic Area Coordination Center in Riverside, told the Washington Post. “But we’ll need at least a couple more storms.”

Read more from the Washington Post: Rain is coming to Southern California. Will it be enough to end fire season?

Throughout the rainy week, forecasters are expecting some amount of mudslides and road erosion, particularly in "sensitive" canyon roads. But there is only a 5% chance that the rain could trigger significant mudslides or debris flows, the NWS said.

Although the storm spared recent burn areas in Pacific Palisades and Altadena from the heaviest rainfall, it still caused issues. There were reports last Monday of minor mudflows brought on by the rain, including a slide that closed Topanga Canyon Boulevard at Pacific Coast Highway. Lingering snowfall also forced a roughly 11-hour closure Monday of the Grapevine stretch of the Golden State (5) Freeway in northern Los Angeles and southern Kern counties.

READ MORE: 2 Atmospheric Rivers To Hit SoCal: How Much Rain To Expect