Thunderstorms, Flooding Expected In El Niño Storm This Sunday

It's been a remarkably sunny few weeks, but we'll be getting what we've been promised this weekend when it comes to some real hardcore El Niño rain. According to the National Weather Service, a storm is set to hit SoCal on Saturday night. Rain will pick up on Sunday, during which we can expect strong winds, heavy rain, flooding, and some minor "mud and debris flows in recent burn areas." Wonderful. There's also a chance of thunderstorms, so if you hear it, don't freak out.

It's hard to say just how intense the storm will be; Los Angeles might only see up to 0.75 inches of rainfall. But there are other factors that render this storm a particularly El Niño-y one.

"The main story will be the surf, actually," NWS meteorologist Curt Kaplan told the L.A. Times.

Remember: even though we haven't seen a ton of rain yet in L.A., there's already been significant damage done at the hands of El Niño. Earlier this month a homeless woman died on Skid Row during a storm, and the 5 freeway flooded to up to 4-feet deep. Plus, this is probably just the beginning: meteorologists say it's likely the rains will pick up as winter turns to spring. Historically, the heaviest rainfalls have come in February and March.

While you're stuck inside on Sunday, might as well sit around pondering lost loves and the ceaseless pounding of heartbreak we experience trying to navigate this cruel earth: