Hurricane Kay Could Be Gift or Nightmare for California's Firefighters

As Hurricane Kay pushes northward, some Southern California municipalities have seen rain, which is expected to continue and could help douse some of the state's largest wildfires. It's a dangerous balance, though, as winds associated with the storm could spur the fires to greater reach.

Cal Fire has battled several wildfires across the state this week, combatting high temperatures and the threat of electric grid blackouts. Next, Hurricane Kay might be thrown into the mix.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Kay could aid firefighters. In a story posted Friday, reports said the rain could help douse the Fairview Fire, which has burned more than 27,000 acres in Southern California and is only 5 percent contained. The fire has grown nearly 10,000 acres since Thursday.

One meteorologist told the Chronicle that heavy rain should be expected in Southern California.

"There's going to be the probability of some of the storms becoming quite big," said Ivory Small, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's (NWS) San Diego office. "And a lot of rain in a very short period of time."

Cal Fire Battalion Chief Issac Sanchez told Newsweek that any kind of moisture is helpful when battling fires.

"Whether that is an increase in humidity or outright rain which we are supposedly supposed to get on [a] fire today, that's always a good thing," he said. "When rain comes, typically fires go out," he said.

Yet, Hurricane Kay also could bring severe wind, and gusts up to 55 mph could cause wind damage or, at worst, fuel the fires. Sanchez said lightning and wind can accompany the rain, potentially causing more fires.

"If that wind arrives before the rain—which appears possible—amid very hot and dry conditions, that could actually result in a burst of extreme fire weather conditions right before the rain arrives," Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at UCLA and The Nature Conservancy, told the Chronicle.

The NWS posted an update on the storm to its website Friday afternoon, saying that although the storm is expected to weaken as it pushes northwest, heavy rains threatening flash floods are expected. NWS said the winds will continue tonight in Southern California and begin to weaken tomorrow as the storm retreats offshore.

The NWS said the storm could cause a switch in temperatures, going from "record" highs to "below average" lows.

"Below average temperatures expected across Southern California and the Southwest due to the cloud and rainfall effects from Kay," the post said.

Further north in the Pacific Northwest, the NWS said temperatures will persist at above average numbers. Coupled with dry conditions, fire threats will remain high throughout the weekend.