After a prolonged heat wave, Southern California could see cooler temperatures and light showers along the coast on Sunday, with thunderstorms possible in mountain and desert areas, increasing the risk of more wildfires.
John Dumas, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, warned that despite the wet weather, the risk of more fires remains. In a pattern known as “virga,” moisture in the upper atmosphere falls as rain but evaporates before it reaches the ground, Dumas said.
“Unfortunately, lightning can still” spark wildfires, Dumas said.
That could worsen conditions as firefighters work around the clock to put out the Lake Fire in Santa Barbara County, California’s largest wildfire so far this year. The fire has spread to 37,872 acres, but firefighters have worked to contain the blaze around the Santa Ynez and Los Olivos areas, where structures are threatened. As of Sunday morning, the fire was 19% contained.
Capt. Scott Safechuck, a spokesman for the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, said firefighters have made “significant changes” on the south side of the fire in recent days, after previously evacuating fires in Santa Ynez and Cachuma. Flames could be seen in the lake area.
More than 3,000 firefighters and ground crews worked tirelessly to control the blaze, assisted by burn control and water-dropping helicopters. Those coordinated efforts “really succeeded in helping us neutralize a lot of the threats on the south side,” Safechuck said.
The risk of lightning-sparked fires prompted weather officials to issue a red flag for the mountains and foothills of Los Angeles County, the Antelope Valley, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ojai and Casitas counties until 9 p.m. Saturday. warn.
Dumas said weather service officials have tools that can instantly track and simulate possible lightning strikes, which can help firefighters on the ground.
Temperatures are expected to drop one to two degrees over the next few days, with temperatures reaching “near normal” by Monday or Tuesday, he said, before a new heat wave is expected to sweep across Southern California.
