Southern California’s first rainy weekend of the winter has arrived. The rain event, months in the making, brought steady storms across the region as the Southland experiences drought conditions. The mostly welcome rain began Saturday night and is expected to sustain until Monday evening.

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.