Southern California braces for possible rain, high surf and fire risk as Hurricane Marie approaches
Forecasters say Hurricane Marie may bring light rain, strong coastal waves and an elevated fire-weather threat to Southern California over Labor Day weekend, though a direct landfall is unlikely.
Southern California could see light rain, increased humidity and hazardous beach conditions over Labor Day weekend as the remnants of Hurricane Marie move toward the region, officials said. The storm, a tropical system with sustained winds near 70 mph, is expected to strengthen into a hurricane before weakening later in the week.
UC climate scientist Daniel Swain noted that a direct hurricane-strength landfall in California is “out of the question,” and the chance of a tropical-storm landfall is about 10%. He added that there is a “real chance of genuinely heavy rainfall and thunderstorms that could potentially cause flooding,” estimating a 20-25% probability for such events, with a similar chance of no rain at all.
National Hurricane Center warning meteorologist Robbie Berg said Marie is most likely to track northwest away from land, though a “slim chance” remains that the storm could shift farther north toward Southern California.
The National Weather Service office in Oxnard warned of a moderate chance of light rain that could affect outdoor events from Saturday through Tuesday, and a lower chance of moderate-to-heavy rain that might cause localized flooding. The office advised residents to “start making backup plans for wet events,” especially Sunday through Tuesday.
Rainfall amounts are expected to be modest, with most showers dropping less than an inch. Similar light-rain probabilities were reported for San Diego, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, with the highest chances on Sunday.
Coastal officials highlighted a high likelihood of large waves and strong rip currents during the holiday weekend, urging beachgoers to ensure lifeguards are present and to avoid rocks and jetties. The peak swell is anticipated on Sunday and Monday.
Coastal flooding remains a possibility, particularly in areas such as the Alamitos Peninsula, Malibu, Point Mugu, Avalon on Catalina Island and parts of Santa Barbara, where high surf could combine with elevated tides.
Meteorologist Kristan Lund warned that certain storm tracks could bring gusty offshore winds, raising wildfire risk and the potential for downed trees. She cited a 10-15% chance of moderate-to-strong easterly winds and noted high confidence of fire-weather conditions in the Santa Ana and San Bernardino Mountains, the Inland Empire and surrounding desert regions.
Forecasters cautioned that projections could change quickly with any shift in Marie’s trajectory.