I’m lucky: Though I live in Pasadena, my apartment was never in an Eaton Fire evacuation zone and the 210’s dozen-lane theoretical firebreak left me more appreciative of the freeway than I probably ever will be again. But like thousands of Angelenos, I was downwind of days’ worth of chemical-laden smoke that’s left my neighborhood’s sidewalks coated in soot and my hands raw from scrubbing and rescrubbing every single surface in my home. Taking my dog for a walk has meant protecting his little paws with socks, and when he inevitably tears those off, dunking his paws in water when we get home. So it’s from that perspective that I can say I’m psyched about the rain in the forecast this weekend. Starting Saturday night, through Sunday and possibly into Monday, most areas in L.A. County can expect .5 to 1.5 inches of rain, according to the National Weather Service. Though that won’t be enough to make a dent in this exceptionally dry winter, it will be the first sign of rain since the fires started two-and-a-half weeks ago, and the first notable precipitation in months; there hasn’t been any significant amount of rainfall in Downtown L.A. since May of 2024. Courtesy National Weather Service Of course, post-fire rain also stirs up fears of mudslides—thankfully, the NWS notes that the rain will largely be light and that flooding risks remain mostly low. (That said, the agency has issued a flood watch for the Palisades, Eaton, Bridge and Hughes burn scars.) There’s a slight chance of thunderstorms, and with those a 5 to 10% chance of significant debris in burn areas, but otherwise most Angelenos should experience off-and-on-again rain that stays below a quarter-inch per hour. If you’re near the Palisades Fire and concerned about the risk of debris flows, the Los Angeles Dire Department is providing free ready-to-fill sandbags at its stations, as they do all year round. In addition, L.A. County Public Works is offering sandbags near the Eaton Fire (at Altadena Golf Course, Victory Park and Robinson Park) as well as at Las Flores Creek Park in Malibu. Given that it’ll be pretty cold, too, with lows in the 40s, there’s a chance for snow above 4,000 feet, with significant accumulations above 6,000 feet (for reference, Mount Wilson sits just below that threshold). Finally, anecdotally, don’t be surprised if it smells pretty awful when it starts to rain this weekend. Normally the first rain after a long patch of dry weather brings a sweet smell to the air (dubbed “petrichor”) that comes from oils released by plants. But my limited brush with wet soot these past couple of weeks has been anything but sweet: When I attempted to delicately mop the soot-and-ash-covered entrance to my garage, it created a noxious slurry that filled the space with the smell of a rotten old ashtray (I swear I was following the cleanup tips properly—and wearing PPE, of course). You can keep tabs on temporary landmark closures due to the wildfires here, as well as find out which restaurants are offering free meals for evacuees, how you can help destroyed eateries and where you can donate and volunteer.