Jacob Collier, 4, of Long Beach, bird watches with his father, Timothy Collier, as the sun breaks through storm clouds rolling by in the sky over Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve.

Storm likely to weaken today, but showers should continue. At-risk burn areas have escaped major damage, so far.

By Ari B. Bloomekatz, John Spano and Christian Berthelsen, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
January 7, 2008

The storm system that has pounded California since last week was expected to weaken today into a series of sporadic but intense showers, with the possibility of more rain Tuesday night.

Emergency preparedness officials, who had geared up for the worst in burn areas such as Malibu and Orange County, breathed a sigh of relief that the region's main problems were power outages, traffic accidents and downed utility lines. But with more rain expected today and possibly Tuesday, officials were not prepared to declare victory.

"We have very saturated hillsides, so we're keeping a watchful eye," said Carol Singleton, a spokeswoman for the Governor's Office of Emergency Services. "We don't know how much rainfall they can handle."

The fast-moving storm system that arrived Friday weakened the following day, then gained strength on Sunday, producing isolated downpours that dumped half an inch in a single hour in some locations. Today's forecast calls for a 30% chance of rain, with a 20% chance on Tuesday night, said Bill Hoffer, spokesman for the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

At least 5.29 inches of rain fell in the Los Angeles County mountains since Friday, 2.35 inches in Burbank, 1.62 inches in Anaheim, 1.8 inches in Van Nuys, 3.38 inches in Bel-Air, 6.5 inches in Sepulveda Pass near Mulholland Drive, 5.34 inches on Mt. Wilson, and 1.56 inches in downtown Los Angeles.

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