LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A flood watch went into effect Sunday morning for parts of Southern California as authorities switch gears from worrying about wildfires to possible landslides.

The flood watch began at 10 a.m. and will remain in effect until Monday afternoon. This covers the Eaton, Palisades, Franklin, Bridge and Hughes burn scars. The much-needed rain will help dampen the fire areas, but is increasing the risk of mudslides and dangerous debris flow.

Meanwhile, a winter storm warning is in effect until 4 p.m. Monday for the eastern San Gabriel Mountains, where National Weather Service forecasters expect heavy snow of up to 14 inches in some areas, though no more than an inch is anticipated along Grapevine. Gusty winds are also anticipated overnight.

What is the rainfall timeline?

The rain will start to come in around noon on Sunday. The mountain areas will also start seeing some snow around that time.

However, things will start to pick up Sunday afternoon around 4 p.m. through Monday afternoon as heavier downpours as expected with the possibility of thunderstorms. Areas along the Grapevine and the Cajon Pass could see about a foot of snow - or more - in higher elevations.

The National Weather Service is giving a 10% to 20% chance for significant debris flows over the Los Angeles County burn scars. The burn scars under flood watch are The Eaton, Palisades, Franklin, Bridge, and Hughes burn scars.

Rainfall totals

Most of the Southland will likely see anywhere between 1/2 an inch to 3/4 of an inch of rainfall from this storm. Areas near the San Gabriel Mountains will see anywhere between 1 to 2 inches of rain.

The valleys and Inland Empire regions may see anywhere between 1/2 of an inch to an inch of rain.

Sunday weather for Southern California

Los Angeles and Orange counties on Sunday can expect an 80% chance of rain - a quarter inch to half inch of rain could fall. A high of 56 and a low of 42 is on tap.

The valleys and Inland Empire on Sunday will see about a 90% chance of rain, between a half inch to three quarters of an inch of rain. The high will be 56 and the low overnight will be 44. Similar weather is expected on Monday.

Beaches can expect temperatures in the high 50s for the next few days. On Sunday, the chance of rain will be 80%.

Mountain communities on Sunday will see about 3-5 inches of snow at elevations around 6,000 feet, when temperatures drop to the 30s. More snow is expected on Monday.

Deserts on Sunday will be cold with gusty winds and showers. A high of 47 and a low of 32 is expected.

City News Service, Inc. contributed to this report.

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Ventura County Star

(This story has been updated with new information.)

Update: As of late Thursday morning, local authorities had lifted the remaining Ventura County evacuation warnings related to the Hughes Fire.

Ventura County authorities downgraded an evacuation order and lifted several warnings Thursday for areas in and around the town of Piru as a wildfire burning near Castaic Lake topped 10,000 acres.

Called the Hughes Fire, flames erupted around 10:30 a.m., quickly triggering evacuation orders in neighboring Los Angeles County and sending smoke billowing into local areas. Gusty north to northeast winds pushed the fire toward Interstate 5 and Ventura County.

By Thursday morning, the fire was 14% contained and thousands of firefighters were assigned to the blaze. The blaze had not crossed the county line, authorities reported.

A day earlier, the Ventura County Fire Department had shifted resources in case flames made a run into local areas, Deputy Fire Chief Chad Cook said.

"We have numerous folks that are actually out on Interstate 5," Cook said at the time. "They are right out at the fire, monitoring the situation in the event that it does happen to give us plenty of warning."

An operating base was set up at the Fillmore fire station, and local crews were expected to remain in place overnight, when the winds could pick up.

"They've hit it hard," Cook said of the firefighting effort. "But we are remaining vigilant in the event spot fires were to come across the 5 freeway and move toward the Ventura County line."

Ventura County evacuation order, warning

On Wednesday, the Ventura County Sheriff's Office of Emergency Services issued an evacuation order and warnings for areas near the county line. Those stayed in place overnight out of an abundance of caution and because winds were expected to pick up, officials said.

As of 7:30 a.m. Thursday, authorities downgraded the evacuation order to a warning for a "sparsely populated" area along the eastern side of Lake Piru to the Los Angeles County border.

An additional evacuation warning was left in place for an area north of Highway 126 and east of Camulos, but all others were lifted. A warning means people should be prepared to leave, but the threat is not yet imminent.

Authorities urged residents pay attention to the possibility of changing conditions and to sign up for local emergency alerts at readyventuracounty.org/vc-alert/.

Ventura County Animal Services was providing emergency shelter for small animals and pets at its Camarillo shelter, 600 Aviation Drive.

Interstate 5 closes through the Grapevine

California Highway Patrol officials reported the 5 freeway was closed through the Grapevine because of the blaze.

All northbound lanes were closed at Highway 126 and southbound lanes were closed at Grapevine Road, according to the California Department of Transportation. A detour was available on the 126, but authorities urged drivers to avoid the area because of the amount of traffic caused by the closure.

At a 5 p.m. news conference, officials announced the 5 was expected to reopen Wednesday night.

Helicopters, planes fight the Hughes Fire

A dozen helicopters and other fixed-wing aircraft were dropping water and retardant on the Hughes fire Wednesday. The list included a fleet of 10 helicopters stationed at the Camarillo Airport while assigned to the Palisades Fire.

Additional firefighters, engines and aircraft had been positioned in Southern California this week because of Santa Ana winds and critical fire conditions. Some had remained assigned to the Palisades and Eaton fires that erupted in Los Angeles County during Santa Anas earlier this month.

Much of Ventura and Los Angeles counties remain under a red flag warning through Thursday. Winds could reach 40 to 60 mph overnight Wednesday into Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. As of 3:30 p.m., the agency reported gusts up to 42 mph and single-digit humidity near the Hughes Fire.

Lake Piru evacuates campground, day-use area

Officials reported the Lake Piru Recreation Area was being evacuated around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Roughly three people had been fishing on the lake and several others were staying at campsites. They were asked to leave and the recreation was closed out of an abundance of caution, officials reported.

Ventura County issues air quality alert

Residents in Camarillo and Ventura reported falling ash from the blaze. The Ventura County Air Pollution Control District issued an air quality alert because of unhealthy conditions.

Smoke caused the Air Quality Index to fall into an unhealthy range in areas throughout the county, according to the agency. The smoke and ash can contain very small particles that can harm the lungs and heart, officials said.

As of Thursday, the air quality was forecast to be unhealthy in Camarillo, Fillmore, Oxnard, Piru, Port Hueneme and Ventura. The forecast showed unhealthy air for sensitive groups in the Conejo and Ojai valleys, Moorpark and Simi Valley, officials said.

Ventura County farmworkers can receive text and audio alerts when wildfire smoke increases the AQI to unhealthy and hazardous levels. To sign up, text “SMOKE” for English or “HUMO” for Spanish, Mixteco and Zapoteco messages to 855-522-0034.

In case of smoke and unhealthy air, Ventura County Public Health officials recommended residents:

More information about the fire is available at vcemergency.com. Real-time air quality information is available at fire.airnow.gov.

Cheri Carlson covers the environment and county government for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at cheri.carlson@vcstar.com or 805-437-0260.

LOS ANGELES – Firefighters raced to contain wildfires that started in Southern California Wednesday, as gusty Santa Ana winds continued to plague the southern portion of the state.

The most recent, dubbed the Hughes Fire, exploded in size Wednesday near Castaic Lake in northern Los Angeles County. The fire swelled to more than 9,000 acres – sending a massive column of black smoke visible for miles.

At one point during the inferno, more than 30 acres were estimated to have been consumed every minute.

More than 56,000 residents were in the initial evacuation zones, which included around half a dozen public schools, with authorities scrambling to set up parent reunification centers.

(Mario Tama / Getty Images)

"Seeing significant amounts of smoke through Ventura County to the I-5 Corridor," NWS Los Angeles said in a post on X.

Several major roadways that connect the Bakersfield-area to the Los Angeles metro were temporarily shut down, including the busy Interstate 5 through the "Grapevine."

Aerial video showed flames approaching I-5 near Castaic Lake, north of Santa Clarita, as winds pushed the blaze towards the south and west.

The area is well known for being home to Six Flags Magic Mountain, but the park appeared to be well outside of the initial fire zone.

Authorities said those in the evacuation zone were alerted with cell phone alerts which appeared to be sent out correctly, unlike during previous fires.

CAL FIRE reported that no structures had been lost, but there is concern that if the inferno continues it'll jump into eastern portions of Ventura County, where evacuation notices were also in effect.

Humidity values were reported to be less than 10% and winds were estimated to be 30-50 mph in the fire zone, which allowed the blaze to move erratically.

The weather conditions were still in the acceptable range for firefighters to use both ground and air units to try to contain the blaze, unlike the deadly wildfires of Jan. 7.

Wind gusts of hurricane-force grounded many aircraft during the historic wildfires, which caused the blazes to quickly grow out of control.

Large air tankers were released during the evening when fire activity was considered to be minimal when compared to the afternoon hours.

Firefighters have not said what caused the blaze, but there were no reported lightning strikes in the area, meaning investigators will likely focus on whether human causes are to blame.

Another brush fire, dubbed the Bernado Fire, erupted near San Diego and Interstate 15 Wednesday morning, sending one person to the hospital with burns, according to San Diego Fire. Evacuation orders were in effect for a few hours, but 175 firefighters battling the blaze soon got the upper hand and contained the fire at 7 acres.

Firefighters said that some resources originally devoted to the Pasadena Fire were sent to the frontlines of the Hughes Fire, but efforts were not being minimized around other fires.

An estimated 4,000 firefighters were assigned to the blaze, many of whom were prepositioned due to the continued fire threat in the Golden State.

Firefighters make progress on other wildfires

The Clay Fire broke out in Riverside County around 5 p.m. local time Tuesday and spread to 38 acres before the fire's progress was stopped by firefighters. The fire is 45% contained. Evacuation warnings were put in place for areas around the fire but have since been lifted. CAL FIRE reported that one-third of the acres burned were in the City of Riverside, California.

A second fire, the Grimes Fire, popped up in Moorpark, in Ventura County, early Wednesday. Ventura County firefighters made quick work stopping the progress of the fire at 1 acre. Two buildings were threatened by the Grimes Fire, but no evacuations were given.

Firefighters remained on the scene of both fires overnight to mop up the fires or continue putting them out after they've been contained.

The cause of both fires is under investigation, officials said.

WILDFIRES BREAK OUT IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY PROMPTING EVACUATIONS, DAMAGING BUILDINGS

The Lilac Fire continues to burn in San Diego County, but forward progress on the fire was stopped Tuesday. The fire burned 85 acres and is 90% contained, according to CAL FIRE.

The fire prompted local officials to issue evacuation orders for those south of Pala Mesa and west of Interstate 15. Evacuation orders have since been lifted.

In Los Angeles County, the deadly Palisades and Eaton fires are still burning, but firefighters keep making progress toward containing the several-thousand-acre blazes.

The Palisades Fire is 65% contained and has burned 23,448 acres as of Wednesday.

Since Jan. 7, more than 14,000 structures have been destroyed in the Palisades and Eaton fires in Los Angeles County, leading to the event being labeled as one of the costliest disasters in U.S. history.

The death toll rose to 28 on Tuesday as the Los Angeles County coroner identified another victim from the fires.

The Eaton Fire has burned more than 14,000 acres and is 91% contained.

HOW DID THE LOS ANGELES-AREA WILDFIRES RAPIDLY SPREAD?

Fire Weather Warnings remain active

Fire weather alerts remain in place through Friday for parts of Ventura and Los Angeles counties, according to the National Weather Service office in Los Angeles.

Wind gusts of up to 65 mph are expected in the mountains, while 30-50 mph gusts are likely everywhere else. Humidity stays low as well, further fueling the likelihood of rapid fire spread.

Earlier in the week, the National Weather Service issued a "Particularly Dangerous Situation" Fire Weather Warning for the two counties.

(FOX Weather)

Fire weather stays elevated for parts of Los Angeles and many coastal communities along Southern California through Friday morning.

Farther inland, the threat increases to critical. Cities within the critical area, like Riverside, Oxnard and Santa Clarita, should remain alert to local forecasts and listen to public officials, the NWS said.

However, a change in the weather comes for the weekend, as the region may see its first significant rain in weeks. However, that brings a threat of flash flooding in burn scar areas.

Tags

The Laguna fire, one of the latest major blazes to strike Southern California, prompted new evacuation warnings in Ventura County on Thursday.

Newsweek reached out to the Ventura County Fire Department for comment on Thursday.

Why It Matters

A series of fast-moving fires, often aided by heavy winds, have devastated Southern California in recent weeks, killing dozens of residents, forcing hundreds of thousands to evacuate and burning down tens of thousands of houses and other structures.

On Wednesday, the Hughes fire broke out north of Los Angeles, quickly consuming over 10,000 acres in Los Angeles County and Ventura County. The Laguna fire began on Thursday.

What To Know

The Ventura County Sheriff's Department (VCSD) initially issued an evacuation order for the Cal State University Channel Islands Campus shortly after the Laguna fire emerged on Thursday morning. However, authorities downgraded the order to an evacuation warning shortly before noon, noting that "progress" had been made in fighting the fire.

"Zones DOWNGRADED to Evacuation WARNING," reads an update posted by VCSD to X, formerly Twitter, at 11:50 a.m. Pacific Time. "Due to improving conditions and progress in fire suppression, the Evacuation Order has been downgraded to an EVACUATION WARNING."

At the time of publication, the Laguna fire had burned approximately 50 acres and was still listed at 0 percent containment, according to Cal Fire. Evacuation warnings, which indicate a "potential threat to life and/or property," were in effect for "Laguna Zone 1" and "Laguna Zone 2."

Potrero Road and Lewis Road were both closed due to the fire, and residents "who require additional time to evacuate, and those with pets and livestock" were urged to "leave now." An evacuation center was established at Camarillo Community Center, located at 1605 Bumley Street in Camarillo.

Meanwhile, the Hughes fire had burned 10,176 acres and was at 14 percent containment as of Thursday afternoon. The Cal Fire website listed evacuation orders in effect for "CAS-BITTERCANYON," CAS-CASTAICLAKE," "CAS-CHARLIECANYON," "LAC-E008," and "LAC-E016." Residents of areas under evacuation orders were told to "leave now" due to the "immediate threat to life."

Cal Fire listed Hughes fire-related evacuation warnings for over three dozen other areas. An evacuation shelter was available in the College of the Canyons East Gym at 26455 Rockwell Canyon Road in Santa Clarita.

The first major fire to hit the Los Angeles area this year, the Palisades fire, was still burning at 72 percent containment on Thursday, consuming at least 23,448 acres. The similarly destructive Eaton fire was at 95 percent containment and had burned at least 14,021 acres.

The causes for all of the fires currently burning in Southern California are under investigation.

What People Are Saying

Cal Fire, in a Thursday post on X: "Firefighters are quickly gaining control of new wildfires as progress continues on the major wildfires impacting Southern California."

AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dave Houk predicted that expected storms will bring some relief to fire-stricken Southern California over the weekend: "Just about every location in coastal Southern California, as well as the Southern California mountains, should at least get in on some showers this weekend."

What Happens Next

The National Weather Service is forecasting windy and "extremely dry" conditions near the Laguna fire through Thursday evening, with a red flag fire warning remaining in effect until 10 a.m. on Friday.

Similar weather conditions will likely impact the Hughes fire, although rain expected over the weekend could help firefighters working to contain the blazes.

Update 1/23/25, 5:13 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. – The approximately 10,396-acre Hughes Fire burning northeast of Castaic Lake in northern Los Angeles County has created smoke plumes visible in parts of Ventura County Wednesday.

The fire is currently at 56% containment as of Friday Morning.

For the latest information about emergencies in Ventura County, visit VCEmergency.com.

All Evacuation Warnings in Ventura County have been lifted.

The Lake Piru Recreation Area will re-open Friday, January 24th at 7:00am.

The image below, courtesy of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, shows the active Evacuation Order (the red areas), the active evacuation warnings (the yellow areas), and the areas directly burned by the Hughes Fire so far (the orange areas).

***HUGHES FIRE UPDATE***I-5 NB and SB are both open at this time. Fire crews are working diligently to keep the fire from threatening the freeway. Before traveling through the Grapevine, check to ensure all lanes are still open. Be informed, be prepared! #HughesFire #CHP

— CHP Headquarters (@CHP_HQ) January 23, 2025

The Ventura County Air Pollution Control District issued an Air Quality Alert for residents in Camarillo, Fillmore, Moorpark, Oxnard, Piru, Santa Paula, Simi Valley, and Ventura as smoke and ash from the wildfire have unhealthy levels of the Air Quality Index.

Ventura County Public Health recommends the following:

To check on the air quality at a specific location, visit here.

Ventura County's Air Quality Meteorologist Tommy Winning, who was a Ph.D. in Coastal and Marine Systems from Texas A7M University-Corpus Christi, called it an active winter.

"If you go back all the way to November we had the Mountain Fire, too it has certainly been different from the last couple of years." said Winning.

"Anytime you can smell wildfire smoke you are breathing in that particulate and that is the most important thing to remember" said Winning," so anytime there is smoke in the area you want to protect yourself with respiration mask if you are outside you want to avoid strenuous activity."

He said the smoke is going where the northeasterly winds will take it.

He recommends using https://www.fire.airnow.gov to see it the smoke is impacting your area.

There is an app for smartphones as well.

Ventura County's Air Pollution Control District Public Information Officer Karin Grennan said her office has been busy sending out alerts to schools, senior center, media and farm workers urging them to monitor the air quality and to take precautions.

"We also have the only wildfire text alert system for farm workers," said Grennan, "and we sent a message to them in Indigenous languages and Spanish and English, making sure they know they should be wearing a mask and that they can get that from their employers."

Visit here to get a broader view of wildfire smoke impacts across the County of Ventura.

Santa Barbara's Air Quality Control District's Public Information Office, Lyz Bantilan, said air quality monitors in Santa Barbara County did not show the area being affected around 4 p.m.

But that could change.

She recommends signing up for https://www.OurAir.org/subscribe.

The image below, courtesy of the Watch Duty Fire Map, shows the location of the fire as well as evacuation orders (the bright red regions), evacuation warnings (the orange regions), and the areas under weather alerts (the pink regions across Los Angeles and Ventura counties).