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Potential for a hard, fast rain makes this week's storm a big deal
An aerial image shows mud flows in La Cañada Flintridge following heavy rain in 2024.
(
Patrick T. Fallon
/
AFP via Getty Images
)
Topline:
The most significant storm of the year has arrived, but how big of a deal is it really? The amount of precipitation in the forecast between Wednesday and Friday (1 to 3 inches in low lying areas) isn't particularly worrying. However, the large amount of rain expected to fall all at once on Thursday is, according to the National Weather Service.
The main event of our current storm is on track for Thursday (Feb 13). Besides the rain, winds will be a concern. Here are the details. #cawx #larain pic.twitter.com/GnSP6eeKZR
— NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) February 12, 2025
Mudslide risk: Debris flows can be triggered at recent burns scars by half an inch of rain falling in one hour. The Weather Service is forecasting that as much as one inch of rain could fall in one hour on Thursday — that's when heavy bursts of rain are most likely.
Be wary of road conditions: “We haven’t seen any rain like this since last year," said Kristan Lund, meteorologist at the NWS. "People forget the overall impacts of heavy rain." For this storm, that could mean rainfall so intense that it could be difficult to see out of your windshield. Not to mention flooding on roads and freeways.
Updates: LAist's continuing coverage of the storm
Go deeper: Crushed by boulders, drowned in mud: How debris flows endanger LA’s fire-ravaged communities
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