A bipartisan bill introduced on Jan. 28 by three California lawmakers would direct the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to maintain a program that improves wildfire forecasting and detection.

The mountains and foothills of Los Angeles County are in “extreme drought” conditions, about 36% of the county, explained Pugh. That’s one category shy of hitting the highest level, “exceptional drought,” and three higher than the lowest, “abnormally dry.” The rest of the county is in severe drought.

The Los Angeles region, still reeling from this month’s firestorm, is under a red-flag warning from noon Monday through Tuesday morning.

Smoke and ash could poison plankton and other organisms that form the foundation of the marine food chain, biologists say.

California is investing $15 million to offset climate change threats to salmon and steelhead trout in river and stream habitats through watershed projects.

An air quality alert was issued on Wednesday at 4:14 p.m. in effect until Thursday at 6 p.m. The alert is for San Bernardino and Riverside County Valleys-The Inland Empire, Santa Ana Mountains and Foothills and Orange County Inland.

a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), forecasts “drought conditions will persist through the end of April” in Southern California, said Brad Pugh ...

It could rain for many hours each day in the middle of next week as a storm takes a swing through Southern California, forecasters say.

The Old Farmer's Almanac, which has been in business since 1792, recently released its spring weather forecast. The outlook? "Warmer-than-normal temperatures for most of the country, with a few exceptions: southern and central California, Desert Southwest, southern Florida, and western Ohio Valley, where it will be near to below normal."

A vegetation fire was threatening two structures in California Valley after it broke out on Wednesday afternoon. The fire was reported just after 1 p.m. at 13640 Soda Lake Road near the intersection with De Sabla Road, according to the emergency app PulsePoint.

With increasingly hot weather and topographical features that resemble those in parts of Southern California, the booming Texas metropolis ranks fifth among U.S. cities threatened by wildfire.

Officials cautioned that ash in recent burn zones was a toxic mix of incinerated cars, electronics, batteries, building materials, paints, furniture and other household items.