SAN DIEGO -- Southern Californians welcomed lower temperatures and spotty rain Saturday from a tropical storm veering off the Pacific Coast days after a relentless heat wave nearly overwhelmed the state's electrical grid.
Officials braced for flooding in coastal and mountain areas from the storm and feared powerful winds could expand the Fairview Fire about 75 miles southeast of Los Angeles. But minimal flooding was reported early Saturday.
Crews made significant progress on the fire and said they expected full containment Monday. More than 10,000 homes and other structures have been threatened by the blaze.
"It did bring rain, it did bring higher humidities. And of course that's always a blessing when it comes to fires," said Cal Fire Battalion Chief Issac Sanchez.
The National Weather Service forecast an end to the grueling heat wave in the Los Angeles area Saturday though heat and wind advisories remained in effect through the evening, and warned of possible flooding in mountain areas and some beach communities. In San Diego County, inland areas such as Mt. Laguna and Julian received several inches of rain while coastal communities got less than an inch, the National Weather Service reported.
Scattered showers and thunderstorms were expected in Southern California through Monday, with mountainous regions getting more rain, state fire officials said.
While residents in the southern portion of the state enjoyed a respite from the stifling heat, officials warned those living further north remained at risk for a heat wave and wildfire conditions with the potential for lightning today across the Northern Sierra.
Hurricane Kay made landfall near Mexico's Bahia Asuncion in Baja California Sur state Thursday, but it quickly weakened into a tropical storm by the time it reached Southern California. The tropical conditions added a swelter to the heat wave that saw temperatures soar past 100 degrees Fahrenheit in many parts of California last week.
Some residents welcomed the respite from unusually high temperatures.
With flooding possible, officials in coastal cities posted warning signs and made sandbags available to the public. In Orange County's Seal Beach, a beach parking lot had minor flooding at high tide Friday.
In the parched desert communities near Palm Springs, some local roads closed briefly due to flooding from rain, the Desert Sun reported.
While firefighters made progress against the Fairview Fire, the Mosquito Fire east of Sacramento grew to at least 51 square miles. More than 5,700 people in the area have been evacuated, authorities said.
Temperatures have fallen in the northern parts of the state, but the storm has had less of an impact there and wildfire conditions prevail, Sanchez said.
"We're not seeing a corresponding drop in fire activity at this point," he said.
Nearly 54 million people were under heat warnings and advisories across the region last week as temperature records were shattered in many areas.
Scientists say climate change has made the West warmer and drier over the last 30 years and will continue to make weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive. In the last five years, California has experienced the largest and most destructive fires in state history.
On Saturday, fire officials said they'd been unable to corral any part of the Mosquito Fire so far. It has burned near the town of Foresthill, home to about 1,500 people.
Smoke from the wildfire has spread for miles.
In the San Francisco Bay Area, air quality regulators extended a smoke advisory through Saturday, while organizers of the Tour de Tahoe canceled the annual 72-mile bicycle ride scheduled today around Lake Tahoe because of the heavy smoke from the blaze -- more than 50 miles away. Last year's ride was canceled due to smoke from another big fire south of Tahoe.
The Mosquito Fire's cause remained under investigation. Pacific Gas & Electric said unspecified "electrical activity" occurred close in time to the report of the fire Tuesday.
In Madera County northeast of Fresno, more than three dozen structures burned in the Fork Fire, authorities reported Saturday. The fire was 50% contained, with the cause under investigation.
Information for this article was contributed by Julie Walker, Amy Taxin, Stefanie Dazio, Christopher Weber, Noah Berger, Scott Sonner and Gillian Flaccus of The Associated Press.
Stephanie Ornelas, center in red, helps cover her family in plastic raincoats as wind and rain pummel the area Friday, Sept. 9, 2022, in Julian, Calif. A tropical storm nearing Southern California has brought fierce mountain winds, high humidity, rain and the threat of flooding to a region already dealing with wildfires and an extraordinary heat wave. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Seen from the Foresthill community in Placer County, Calif., a plume rises from the Mosquito Fire on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Scorched vehicles rest in a clearing as the Mosquito Fire burns along Michigan Bluff Rd. in unincorporated Placer County, Calif., on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Firefighter Stephanie Endsley battles the Mosquito Fire burning near the Michigan Bluff community in unincorporated Placer County, Calif., on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Firefighters battle the Mosquito Fire burning on Michigan Bluff Rd. in unincorporated Placer County, Calif., on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
A flag flies behind a scorched outbuilding as the Mosquito Fire burns along Michigan Bluff Rd. in unincorporated Placer County, Calif., on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
An air tanker drops retardant while trying to stop the Mosquito Fire from spreading along Chicken Hawk Rd. in unincorporated Placer County, Calif., on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
A destroyed structure rest in a clearing as the Mosquito Fire burns along Michigan Bluff Rd. in unincorporated Placer County, Calif., on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)