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Southern Californians welcomed cooler temperatures and spotty rain Saturday from a tropical storm veering off the Pacific Coast days after a relentless heat wave nearly overwhelmed the state’s electrical grid.
“It did bring rain, it did bring higher humidities, and of course that’s always a blessing when it comes to fires,” said Cal Fire Battalion Chief Issac Sanchez.
The National Weather Service forecast an end to the grueling heat wave in the Los Angeles area Saturday though heat and wind advisories remained in effect through the evening, and warned of possible flooding in mountain areas and some beach communities. In San Diego County, inland areas such as Mt. Laguna and Julian received several inches of rain while coastal communities got less than an inch, the National Weather Service reported.
Scattered showers and thunderstorms were expected in Southern California through Monday, with mountainous regions getting more rain, state fire officials said. While residents in the southern portion of the state enjoyed a respite from the stifling heat, officials warned those living further north remained at risk for a heat wave and wildfire conditions with the potential for lightning Sunday across the Northern Sierra.
Hurricane Kay made landfall near Mexico’s Bahia Asuncion in Baja California Sur state Thursday, but it quickly weakened into a tropical storm by the time it reached Southern California. The tropical conditions added a swelter to the heat wave that saw temperatures soar past 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) in many parts of California this week.
