December is likely the worst time of year for California to have fires because all the lands burnt off will create mudslides because there is no time for anything to grow back to hold back the water and rocks coming down the hills when it rains and most of the rain in California comes between November and April or May. Remember, California goes from Sea level to well over 14,000 feet. In most places in the U.S. there is not that drastic a change in altitude that is possible here. When you have this all you need is one cloudburst and all hell breaks loose and homes and sometimes people get covered over in the mud coming down the hills (most under 3000 to 4000 feet that are the coastal range, especially all up and down the coast of California where most of the Pineapple express storms hit from now through May to dump their loads of rain. However, Southern California is still in a drought so people have to either pray for more drought or in order not to loose many homes. So, as some pray for drought not to loose their homes to mud slides others are praying for rain because they need more rain in southern California just to survive. The Colorado River has been in constant drought mostly now all the way to Colorado since around 2000 AD. Also, California is one of only a couple of places in the U.S. where it is normal to get over 16 inches of rain in 1 to 3 days time. We tend to get our rain all at once here sometimes so this is also why it floods and mudslides when that happens especially where fires just happened the most recently where nothing has had time to grow back.

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Mudslide danger looms in Southern California as fire threat diminishes

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Mudslide danger looms in Southern California as fire threat diminishes

By Susan McFarland  |  Jan. 2, 2018 at 8:48 AM

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Officials in Southern California are assessing burned slopes and culverts to try and prevent flash floods and mudslides that can happen after massive fires. Photo by SrA Crystal Housman/U.S. Air National Guard/UPI

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Jan. 2 (UPI) -- As firefighters gain control of Southern California wildfires, state and local officials are assessing burned slopes and culverts to try and prevent flash floods and mudslides that sometimes follow such fires.
In Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, public works crews are clearing debris basins and storm drains ahead of a rain event, something the area has seen little of this season.

Cold weather helped firefighters gain an upper hand on the Thomas Fire, the largest fire in California's recorded history, but what the fires leave behind is the next threat.
Forecasters say one storm with a lot of rain in a short amount of time is all it takes to start a mudslide.
Because of the burned hills, county officials expect any rain amount will produce twice the amount of water into flood channels. Work crews are cutting down dead trees and hauling away debris that could block drains and cause flooding.
After massive wildfires, rainwater typically does not soak into the ground but instead rolls down hardened soil -- taking with it ash, soot, dirt and debris, which creates fast moving mud flows.
A spokesman for districts in Los Angeles and Ventura counties told the Los Angeles Daily News that crews will likely begin "repairing burned slopes and slope drains, hydroseeding which helps control erosion, installing mulch and straw blankets and cleaning and repairing culverts."
Other repairs will need to be done to guardrails, signs, electrical systems, fencing, and crews will be installing temporary concrete barriers to minimize falling dirt and rocks onto highways.

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