Southern California is bracing for the first significant rainstorm to hit the region in nearly a year, beginning Monday and with the heaviest rain expected in some burn areas, forecasters said.

Almost four inches of rain is expected in eastern Santa Barbara County and western Ventura County over a 12-hour period from Monday evening through Tuesday morning, forecasters said. The Thomas fire, which was centered in these two counties, charred more than 281,000 acres in this area last month, making it the largest fire on record in California.
“Unfortunately it’s centered almost exactly where the Thomas fire was,” said Kathy Hoxsie, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
Downtown L.A. is looking at about an inch of rain over a 12-hour period beginning at midnight Monday, when the storm front will pass through Los Angeles County.
Read the full story on LATimes.com.
Evacuations have been issued for areas below the Thomas, Whittier, Sherpa and Rey Fire Burn Areas beginning at NOON TMRW Monday, January 8 due to an approaching winter storm. Full info & link to interactive map at: https://t.co/aMpP8tihRa. You can also call 211. pic.twitter.com/JvvkIh7gJD
— Santa Barbara County (@countyofsb) January 8, 2018