After a prolonged stretch of record-breaking heat that scorched Southern California and sparked wildfires, much of the state will experience below average temperatures, rain and even early-season snow this week.
The National Weather Service issued its earliest snow advisory in the past 20 years over the weekend for portions of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. In Southern California, where three fires have scorched more than 115,000 acres and burned out of control for days, the rapid cooldown and higher humidity levels have already provided some relief for firefighters trying to get a handle on the blazes.
The largest of the three, the Bridge fire in the Angeles National Forest, was 11% contained as of Monday morning, while the Line fire in San Bernardino County was 42% contained. The Airport fire, which ignited in Orange County last week and burned into Riverside County, was 31% contained as of Monday.
“This is a pretty nice temperature change and a relief after that heat wave,” said Bryan Lewis, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.
Back-to-back low-pressure systems, which have already dropped temperatures 5 to 10 degrees below normal in Southern California, are expected to bring periods of drizzle late Tuesday night through Thursday. Much of Los Angeles County could see less than a tenth of an inch. The foothills could see up to a quarter of an inch.
Temperatures are expected to linger in the mid- to upper 60s along the coast and the low to mid-70s in the inland areas. Downtown Los Angeles, which hit 112 degrees earlier this month, is experiencing a 40-degree drop in temperatures, Lewis said.
In the Sierra Nevada mountain range, roughly 3 inches of fresh powder could fall in elevations above 8,000 feet from Fresno County to Yosemite through Monday night. And more could be on the way after that, said Antoinette Serrato, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Hanford.
“The low-pressure system is bringing in some pretty cold air down from the Arctic area and that’s going to bring some early snow to the region,” Serrato said.
While the cooler weather is expected to continue to aid crews, it doesn’t portend a slow fire season, experts say.
“This is a very small blip in the overall fire season as a whole,” said Robert Foxworthy, a spokesperson for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. “We have ups and downs with weather as patterns shift, so the fact that we have some cool weather now and slowing fire season won’t necessarily change the total outcome of the fire season.”
The most damaging and destructive fires in Southern California typically happen in the coming months with the arrival of the Santa Ana winds that can help turn small fires into raging conflagrations.
On Sunday night windy conditions hampered the aircraft flying over the Bridge fire but crews were able to make some progress on containment.
Firefighters are focusing mainly on the northwest portion of the blaze, which continues to be the most active, in order to protect the communities of Big Pines and Pinon Hills. On the east side, the fire is less active but still poses a risk to the Mount Baldy area, according to Cal Fire.
Crews will continue to focus on the northwestern portion of the fire Monday night. The low temperatures are expected to assist firefighters in minimizing huge fire growth but the winds will create another hurdle, said L.A. County Fire spokesperson Kenishi Hafkett.
Winds are expected to shift from a southwestern direction to the northwest between 4 and 8 p.m. Monday, which may breathe more life into the fire and create spot fires away from the main blaze, Hafkett said.
Fifty-four structures have been destroyed and 13 others damaged by the fire. Three people, including civilians and fire personnel, have been injured.
Winds gusting up to 25 miles per hour near the Line fire in San Bernardino County helped fuel the blaze Sunday night as it continued its march through dry vegetation in the area. The blaze has destroyed one structure and damaged four others.
In the lower elevations, firefighting conditions are expected to be more favorable because of the cooler temperatures, higher humidity levels and cloud cover. In elevations above 5,000 feet, temperatures are expected to be slightly warmer and drier. Highs are expected to be in the mid-50s, said Rick Carhart, a spokesperson for Cal Fire.
“This fire is certainly not finished yet and there’s more work to be done,” he said.