A long-awaited La Nina has finally appeared, but the periodic cooling of Pacific Ocean waters is weak and unlikely to cause as many weather problems as usual, meteorologists said Thursday.
La Nina, the flip side of the better-known El Nino, is an irregular rising of unusually cold water in a key part of the central equatorial Pacific that changes weather patterns worldwide.
The last El Nino was declared finished last June, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasters have been expecting La Nina for months. Its delayed arrival may have been influenced — or masked — by the world's oceans being much warmer the last few years, said Michelle L'Heureux, head of NOAA's El Nino team.
“It’s totally not clear why this La Nina is so late to form, and I have no doubt it’s going to be a topic of a lot of research,” L'Heureux said.
But even as the temperature signature was late to arrive and small at that, L'Heureux said some of the effects across the globe have shown up and forecasters have made seasonal predictions based on La Nina conditions.
In the United States, La Ninas tend to cause drier weather in the South and West. They tend to make weather wetter in parts of Indonesia, northern Australia and southern Africa, L'Heureux said. They typically bring more Atlantic hurricanes in summer months, but L’Heureux forecast that this La Nina will have dissipated by the summer.
El Nino often leads to rainier weather in the United States, and tends to increase temperatures globally while La Nina has the opposite effect. Studies have found that La Nina droughts have been costlier than weather extremes linked to El Nino.
The last La Nina ended in 2023 after an unusual three-year stretch.
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FILE - People cover up from falling rain Dec. 24, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)
FILE - Surfers catch waves in the Pacific Ocean off of Ho'okipa Beach Park, Nov. 22, 2024, near Paia, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)
Firefighters battled early Thursday to control a series of major fires in the Los Angeles area that have killed five people, ravaged communities from the Pacific Coast to Pasadena and sent thousands of people frantically fleeing their homes.
Ferocious winds that drove the flames and led to chaotic evacuations have calmed somewhat and were not expected to be as powerful during the day. That could allow firefighters to make progress reining in blazes that have hopscotched across the sprawling region, including massive ones in Pacific Palisades and Altadena.
Here's the latest:
There are currently 118 crews deployed, Quiñones said. Downed power lines remain a priority for the agency.
“If you see a wire down, please call 911 and we will send crews immediately to make the area safe,” said Janisse Quiñones, CEO and chief engineer of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
“Some customers may experience some longer outages because some power equipment has been damaged or “compromised” by the fires,” she added.
The “life safety” infrastructure in some of the Los Angeles-area communities ravaged by wildfires has been destroyed, Los Angeles County Public Works Director Mark Pestrella said Thursday.
Crews are focusing on utility restoration, Pestrella said, but sewer, water and power infrastructure has all been “significantly damaged.”
Before repair work can begin, massive amounts of debris — including fallen tree limbs and hazardous materials from burned structures — must be removed, he said.
Ash and other materials have contaminated some water supplies, so boil orders have been issued in areas including Palisades, said Janisse Quiñones, the CEO of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
Officials were working to deliver water to residents who have partial damage or have remained behind, Pestrella said.
Area water reservoirs are full and available for aerial water drops by firefighting aircraft, he said.
“Damage assessments are ongoing at the Palisades fire. Preliminary reports estimate the damage or destroyed structures to be in the thousands,” Los Angeles city Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said during a news conference Thursday morning.
“It is safe to say that the Palisades fire is one of the most destructive natural disasters in the history of Los Angeles.”
At least 180,000 residents are under evacuation orders for all blazes in the county, officials said.
More than 400 sheriff’s office personnel have been deployed to the fire response in addition to the deputies handling normal patrols, said L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna.
“The people that are working under very difficult conditions are doing their best to do what they do,” Luna said. Some of the areas impacted by wildfires “look like a bomb was dropped in them.”
It’s too soon to conduct major searches of burned areas, and it’s not clear what authorities will find when they do search, Luna said. Special K-9 search teams and other tools will be brought in when possible.
The best way to help emergency responders is to stay informed, be prepared to evacuate and follow all evacuation orders, said Los Angeles City Fire Chief Kristin Crowley.
Others should stay off the road when possible, officials said, to reduce the risk of car accidents and other issues during the wildfire response.
Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone says the number of resources deployed to the “fire siege” in southern California has increased significantly, but the Eaton Fire remains uncontained.
Marrone made the comments during a press conference on Thursday morning.
“We have several reported injuries and over 1,000 structures damaged and destroyed,” Marrone said. “The cause of the fire remains unknown, and it continues to be under active investigation.”
Winds are suspected to subside “somewhat” on Thursday but the danger remains, said Los Angeles city Fire Chief Kristin Crowley.
“We are still under red flag warning with extreme fire behavior possibilities,” Crowley said.
Wind speeds are up to 60 miles per hour, and are expected to continue throughout the day, she said.
“It is safe to say that the Palisades fire is one of the most destructive natural disasters in the history of Los Angeles,” she said.
“This is simply unacceptable,” Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger said during a news conference on Wednesday. “I promise you, you will be held accountable.”
The city of Santa Monica declared a curfew Wednesday night because of the looting, said L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath.
A Los Angeles County official said the region was mourning the loss of lives and property after several wildfires wreaked destruction in southern California.
Kathryn Barger, the chair of the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors, made the comments during a news conference on Thursday morning.
“While we are still facing significant threats, I am hopeful the tide is turning,” Barger said. Authorities are working “hand in hand” across jurisdictions, she said.
“Wildfires do not care about jurisdictional boundaries,” she said.
The Los Angeles Fire Department made the announcement on Thursday morning. Fire crews are still working in the area, and the department asked that people be careful as they return to their homes.
The Sunset Fire is a brush fire that broke out Wednesday evening in the Hollywood Hills. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said Thursday morning that it had burned 43 acres (17 hectares), well under a square mile.
More than 425,000 customers statewide are without power as wildfires continue to rage in southern California, according to the tracker PowerOutage.us.
Southern California Edison wrote on its website that several community resource centers have been set up around the region and work crews have been deployed within impacted communities. The resource centers allow customers to charge mobile devices and medical equipment and get information.
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power said Wednesday night that it had restored power to more than 150,000 customers since the start of the windstorm. Roughly 94,000 of the utility’s customers remained without power Thursday morning, as wind and fire conditions continued to present hazards for work crews.
Firefighters in Southern California are accustomed to dealing with the strong Santa Ana winds that blow in the fall and winter, but the hurricane-force gusts earlier in the week took them by surprise.
“This is unlike anything I’ve seen in my 25 years on the fire department,” Los Angeles Fire Capt. Adam VanGerpen told CBS This Morning.
VanGerpen called the fire historic. Erratic winds gusted up to 99 mph the first night, spitting embers that rapidly spread the fire.
While gusts are dying down, VanGerpen said winds forecast through Friday were still cause for concern.
Aaron Samson, 48, was in Pacific Palisades at his father-in-law’s home caring for him when the time came to flee Tuesday. They had no car, however, and were unable to secure a ride through Uber or by calling 911. Samson flagged down a neighbor, who agreed to give them and their two bags a lift.
After a little more than half an hour in traffic, the flames closed in. The tops of palm trees burned like giant sparklers in the incessant wind.
With vehicles at a standstill, police ordered people to get out and flee on foot. Samson and his father-in-law left their bags and made their way to the sidewalk. The father-in-law, who is recovering from a medical procedure, steadied himself against a utility pole as Samson retrieved his walker and recorded the ordeal on his cellphone.
“We got it, Dad, we got it,” Samson said.
They walked for about 15 minutes before another good Samaritan saw them struggling, stopped and told them to get in his vehicle.
By Wednesday afternoon, Samson did not know if the home survived. But he said they were indebted to the two strangers.
“They saved us,” he said. “They really stepped up.”
▶ Read more stories from those who escaped the fire
President Joe Biden will gather senior White House and administration officials for the briefing after he returns from delivering the eulogy at the state funeral for former President Jimmy Carter.
He was briefed earlier Thursday on the latest updates of the wildfires across Los Angeles.
Many communities, including several in California, have warning alert systems that allow residents to sign up for push notifications to their mobile phones or email accounts.
FEMA has a downloadable app that provides real-time alerts on mobile phones, and public safety agencies can also push alerts to television, radio and wireless devices through the Integrated Public Alert & Warning System. The NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards is a nationwide network of radio stations that broadcast continuous weather information as well as official Weather Service warnings, forecasts and other hazard information.
A battery- or crank-operated portable radio can also be a critical tool for receiving emergency alerts, especially in areas where cellular service is unreliable or when regional cellular towers might be threatened by wind, fire or other hazards.
The latest flames broke out Wednesday evening in the Hollywood Hills, striking closer to the heart of the city and the roots of its entertainment industry and putting densely populated neighborhoods on edge during exceptionally windy and dry conditions.
Within a few hours, firefighters had made major progress on the Sunset Fire in the hills. Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Erik Scott said they were able to keep the fire in check because “we hit it hard and fast and mother nature was a little nicer to us today than she was yesterday.”
The dramatic level of destruction in some places was apparent in a comparison of satellite images before and after the fire.
A swath of about 250 homes in an Altadena neighborhood dotted with the green canopies of leafy trees and aquamarine swimming pools was reduced to rubble. Only a few homes were left standing and some were still in flames in the images by Maxar Technologies.
Along a stretch of about 70 wall-to-wall homes overhanging the Pacific Ocean in Malibu, fewer than 10 appeared to be intact.
Firefighters work from a deck as the Palisades Fire burns a beachfront property Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
Structures are on fire during the Eaton fire in Altadena, Calif., Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
ADDS THE NAME OF A PERSON - Zuhayr Khan cuts down bushes as structures are seen on fire during the Eaton fire in Altadena, Calif., Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
The Eaton Fire burns a Bank Of America branch Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Pedestrians help a firefighter stretch a hose as an apartment building burns, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in the Altadena section of Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Topanga Canyon inhabitants look on as the Palisades Fire burns in the hills between Pacific Palisades and Malibu Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 in Topanga, Calif. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
The Palisades Fire burns houses in the hill next to the Getty Villa Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 in Pacific Palisades, Calif. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
A house burns in the Eaton Fire in Altadena, Calif., Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)
A firefighter battles the Eaton Fire Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A resident hoses down hot spots in a fire-ravaged property after the Palisades Fire swept through in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Garcia)
Fallon Prockiw-Kline gets emotional in front of her home which was damaged by the Palisades Fire, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
Residents embrace outside of a burning property as the Eaton Fire swept through Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Water is dropped by helicopter on the burning Sunset Fire in the Hollywood Hills section of Los Angeles, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Firefighters work from a deck as the Palisades Fire burns a beachfront property Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
