Latest news with #Sundowner
New York Post
03-07-2025
- Climate
- New York Post
Giant ‘Madre Fire' surges across 35,000 acres in Southern California, becoming the states largest wildfire this year
A rapidly spreading wildfire in Southern California quickly became the state's largest fire of the year after igniting on Wednesday, leading to evacuations. The Madre Fire sparked on Wednesday around 1 p.m. along Highway 166 in New Cuyama in San Luis Obispo County. Hours after starting, the fire had consumed 9,000 acres. By Thursday morning, the fire had surged to more than 35,500 acres as firefighters on the ground and in the air attempt to suppress the blaze. Advertisement Evacuation orders are in place for multiple zones in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties near Highway 166. The highway remains closed for firefighting efforts, according to San Luis Obispo County Government officials. About 50 structures are threatened by the fire, according to CAL Fire. On Tuesday night, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office issued an evacuation warning east of the Rock Front Area, west of Cottonwood Canyon Road and south of Highway 166. 'Residents should prepare to leave at a moment's notice,' the sheriff's office said. Advertisement 3 The rapidly spreading Madre Fire in Southern California quickly became the state's largest fire of the year. Cal Fire/FOX Weather 3 Hours after starting, the fire had consumed 9,000 acres, and by Thursday morning, it had surged to more than 35,500 acres. Cal Fire/FOX Weather 3 Evacuation orders are in place for zones in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties near Highway 166, with the highway remaining closed for firefighting efforts. Cal Fire/FOX Weather Advertisement Fire behavior is being driven by hot, dry and windy conditions. Forecasters with the National Weather Service in Los Angeles said breezy conditions will continue on Thursday, and northerly Sundowner winds are likely to return Friday night and into the weekend. Gusts between 25 and 45 mph are likely, with localized gusts of up to 50 mph. Smoke from the Madre Fire is creating a significantly smoky sky for the Cuyama Valley and is forecast to drift over Santa Barbara and western portions of Ventura County. Smoke could be visible over parts of Los Angeles County on Thursday.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Atmospheric river looms: Torrential rain, flooding and mudslides to unfold in California
The biggest storm of the winter, packing a firehose of rain across much of California, will trigger flooding, mudslides and road closures that may put lives and property at risk during the latter part of this week. Feet of snow will also pile up over the high country of the Sierra Nevada, AccuWeather meteorologists warn. Rain and mountain snow are much needed in California. Storms were nearly absent prior to the last part of January back through the start of the rainy season in October, resulting in a drought in the region's soil and vegetation. The conditions, combined with dry winds known as Sundowner and Santa Ana events earlier this winter, resulted in some of the worst wildfires in terms of speed, lives lost and damage the state has ever experienced. However, as is often the case in California, when rain falls, it does so with a vengeance. A major storm packing a plume of moisture that will evolve into an atmospheric river will slide southward along the California coast. The firehose effect will direct a period of torrential rain along the shoreline, the Coast Ranges and the lower west-facing elevations of the Sierra Nevada, especially from Thursday to Friday. Some precursor rain will fall from later Wednesday to the start of Thursday. "A general 2-4 inches of rain will fall along the lower elevations of the California coast but with 4-8 inches in the west- and southwest-facing slopes of the coastal mountains with a Local StormMax™ of 11 inches," AccuWeather On-Air Meteorologist Ariella Scalese said. Much of the storm's rain is likely to fall in 12 hours or less, which will rapidly run off and could lead to disastrous flash flooding, mudslides and hillside collapses in steep terrain areas. "Making matters much worse will be the burn scars of the recent wildfires that swept through South California," AccuWeather Senior Director of Forecasting Operations Dan DePodwin said, "There is little to hold back the water and mudflows as the onset of storms demonstrated in late January." "Some of the runoff can be toxic in some locations as it washes ash and other debris into streams and then reaches the beaches," DePodwin the app? Unlock AccuWeather Alerts™ with Premium+ "2-4 feet of snow will fall on the Sierra Nevada above 7,000 feet," AccuWeather Chief On-Air Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said. While this is just what the High Country and ski resorts need, it will lead to temporary problems. Roads will likely close, including along Interstate 80 and Donner Pass, California. The snow can pile up at 2-4 inches per hour, which crews are unlikely to keep up with while the storm is active. While there was no shortage of water, reservoir and stream levels were dropping following months of nearly bone-dry conditions since last spring. Dry conditions during the late spring to the start of autumn are normal. It's the lack of rain and mountain snow from midautumn through the first part of the winter that is abnormal. Storms began to ramp up during the last days of January and into the first part of February, but rainfall and the Sierra snowpack were well short of the historical average, especially in the southern areas. Since the start of the rainy season in October, Southern California has only received 5 to 35% of its historical average rainfall. The storm during the latter part of this week will help bring rainfall and mountain snow back on track, but more non-flooding storms will be needed into early spring. The snow that falls on the High Country in the winter and early spring becomes the vital runoff into area streams, rivers and reservoirs for the water supply during warmer, drier months. A period of storm-free conditions lasting a week or more will follow heavy rain and mountain snow into Friday. The next potential precipitation-producer may not occur until near the end of the month. Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts™ are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.
