Los Angeles residents are gearing up for a rainy weekend, with showers expected to roll in tonight and continue intermittently through New Year's Day. According to the National Weather Service, the city will see rain, mainly after 10 p.m. tonight, with an 80 percent chance of precipitation and new rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. The wet conditions are forecast to persist with rain mainly before 10 a.m. on Saturday, but skies are expected to clear up slightly by New Year's Day with just a 30 percent chance of morning showers.
Meanwhile, the South Coast Air Quality Management District has extended a mandatory wood-burning ban for the South Coast Air Basin, including Los Angeles, due to high levels of fine particle air pollution. "Smoke from wood burning can cause health problems," noted the air quality alert, reporting that fine particle pollution can trigger asthma attacks, worsen lung and heart disease symptoms, and may even lead to an increase in emergency room visits and hospitalizations. The alert also outlines exemptions, including for communities above 3,000 ft, households with only wood for heat, residences without natural gas service, and low-income households.
As the city braces for the upcoming inclement weather, residents are reminded to avoid burning wood and to instead seek other methods to stay warm. This weekend's high temperatures are forecast to hover in the mid-60s, with overnight lows dropping into the 40s and 50s, according to the National Weather Service.
Saturday night will remain mostly cloudy with a low near 50, and there's a small 20 percent chance of rain come Sunday. The air quality measures come into play as the city prepares to quickly shift from gloomy weather to brighter skies by early next week. Los Angeles is looking forward to sunny days starting Tuesday, ensuring a clearer start to the first full week of 2024.
