The atmospheric river's effects are expected to last at least through Tuesday, one meteorologist told Newsweek.

A bipartisan bill introduced on Jan. 28 by three California lawmakers would direct the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to maintain a program that improves wildfire forecasting and detection.

When the recent wildfires tore through Los Angeles, destroying thousands of homes and businesses, they also sent plumes of smoke out over the ocean. NOAA satellite images show smoke and ash traveling as far as 100 miles offshore.

California is investing $15 million to offset climate change threats to salmon and steelhead trout in river and stream habitats through watershed projects.

The rain that is expected to hit the scorched Los Angeles landscape this weekend may bring relief to the fire fights, but it could also bring flash floods and mudslides. Although forecasts show that the risk is relatively low, local officials are taking the warnings seriously.

Rain and cooler temperatures will bring relief to Southern California this weekend, after a prolonged stretch of dry, breezy weather that allowed wildfires to thrive.

A deceased humpback whale washed ashore near the Huntington Beach Pier last week, prompting an investigation from wildlife officials.

Monterey Bay Whale Watch said the dolphins were spotted by the company's scouting boat when it went out to "perform a survey on the coast south of Monterey."

A whale watching company doing a survey got a special treat when hundreds and hundreds of sea creatures propelled themselves from the water in California. A “super pod” of over 1,500 Risso’s dolphins were spotted by a boat in Carmel Bay, according to a Jan. 25 Instagram post by the Monterey Bay Whale Watch.

Less than an inch of rain fell in most areas, but it was enough to loosen Los Angeles hillsides burned bare by the recent blaze near the Pacific Palisades.

Rain is returning this week to the Bay Area – and forecasters are expecting a “potentially major storm system."

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