Two distinct systems will bring widespread light to moderate rain to Southern California: one on Tuesday into Wednesday and another Thursday and Friday.

With parts of Los Angeles County still smoldering from wildfires, the expected rain this weekend would seem like a welcome relief. But how the rain falls could make the difference between a disaster respite or a disaster repeat.

So far, many clues to the origins of the deadly Eaton fire, which started in the area just after 6 p.m. that evening and went on to kill 17 people, have pointed to the brushy hillside where a tangle of electrical lines stretch up Eaton Canyon.

Precipitation was lighter than expected on Wednesday, with another storm on the way Thursday night into Friday.

Southern California mountain communities are concerned over land and mudslide dangers as a winter storm arrives this week. Recent burn scar areas pose heightened threats, like the nearly 44,000 acres of scorched land from the Line Fire in San Bernardino County that ignited in September 2024.

A pair of storm systems are expected to dump rain on Southern California beginning Tuesday, again raising fears of possible debris or mud flows in recent burn areas. The first system is scheduled to arrive sometime Tuesday evening,