Rain helps Los Angeles wildfires, risks mudslides

What happened

A slow-moving rainstorm moved over Southern California Sunday, providing relief for crews fighting to finish containing wildfires that ravaged parts of Los Angeles County. But forecasts of intermittent bursts of heavier rain prompted the National Weather Service to predict a 10% to 20% chance of flash flooding and significant mudslides in areas where the fires scorched the vegetation, making the earth hard and impermeable.

Who said what

"In general, this is beneficial rain" for an area that has seen no measurable rain since October, AccuWeather senior meteorologist John Feerick said to The New York Times. But "debris flows" are a real risk if one of the "showers happens to park itself over a burn area," National Weather Service meteorologist Carol Smith said on social media, according to The Associated Press.

Work and fire crews prepared for the rain by filling sandbags and "removing vegetation, shoring up slopes and reinforcing roads in devastated areas of the Palisades and Eaton fires," now 90% and 98% contained, respectively, The AP said.

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What next?

The mudslide warning is in effect through Monday afternoon, but Los Angeles officials are also warning about a longer-term risk from ash that's a "toxic mix of incinerated cars, electronics, batteries, building materials, paints, furniture and other household items" containing "pesticides, asbestos, plastics and lead."