Hurricane Marie is churning through the Pacific, but Southern Californians hoping the storm will break their dry spell should keep expectations low, forecasters say the region's weekend weather will barely register the Category 1 system.
KTLA meteorologist Henry DiCarlo said Thursday that Marie's earlier track had pointed closer to Baja California before potentially curving toward Southern California. That path has since shifted farther west, cutting the odds of any real rainfall sharply. Sunday remains the best window for scattered showers, but DiCarlo made clear he is not banking on it.
The bottom line: a Category 1 hurricane is spinning in the Pacific, and the most Southern California is likely to get out of it is some extra clouds, a bump in humidity, and bigger waves. No reason to cancel weekend plans.
DiCarlo did not hold back about the gap between public buzz and meteorological reality. He told viewers Thursday:
"I could see us in a situation this weekend where there's a lot of chatter about rain, but very little activity."
He went further, saying the storm could easily pass without delivering anything beyond a few clouds.
"If we got absolutely nothing, aside from a few clouds over the weekend, it wouldn't surprise me at all."
DiCarlo acknowledged a nonzero chance of precipitation but framed it in the plainest terms possible:
"I am not saying there is no chance of rain. I'm just saying I'm downplaying it."
That kind of candor from an on-air forecaster is worth noting. Weather coverage often leans toward drama, the possibility of a hurricane brushing the coast makes for better television than a quiet weekend. DiCarlo chose the opposite approach.
The National Weather Service office in Los Angeles flagged a different concern. As energy from Marie moves northward through the Pacific, surf along Southern California beaches is expected to pick up. The NWS statement pointed to higher waves as a more likely impact than rainfall.
No specific advisory number or formal bulletin was cited, and no beach closures or warnings had been announced as of Thursday morning. But beachgoers and boaters should pay attention to conditions through the weekend.
Temperatures in the region were expected to hold in the mid-80s Thursday and Friday before climbing into the upper 80s over the weekend. Saturday could bring increasing cloud cover as some of Marie's outer bands drift northward, the first visible sign that a hurricane is out there at all.
Marie is not the only system forecasters are tracking. A NOAA satellite image from September 1 showed three hurricanes spinning simultaneously in the Pacific Ocean. The broader picture underscores an active storm season that has already delivered real consequences elsewhere in the country.
Tropical Storm Edouard made landfall near the Texas-Louisiana border with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph before weakening to a tropical depression. AP News reported that roughly 32,000 utility customers lost power in Jefferson County, which includes Beaumont, Texas. The storm dumped heavy rain across the region, with forecasts calling for 3 to 7 inches and up to 12 inches in isolated areas.
Texas officials said they were ready. Orlando Alanis of the Texas Division of Emergency Management told Newsmax that the state was prepared for its first big storm of the season. Gov. Greg Abbott identified flooding as the primary threat, a straightforward, practical assessment that matched what forecasters were saying.
Brad Reinhart, a senior hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center, warned that Edouard's rainfall "could produce some flash flooding and river flooding." That storm delivered on its threat. Marie, by contrast, looks far less likely to make its presence felt onshore.
The realistic weekend forecast for the region is modest. Thursday and Friday stay pleasant. Saturday brings more clouds. Sunday offers a slim chance of light, scattered showers. Humidity ticks up. Surf rises. Temperatures push toward the upper 80s.
None of that amounts to a significant weather event. DiCarlo said flatly that there is no reason for Southern Californians to change their weekend plans because of Marie. The storm's westward shift took the meaningful rainfall scenario off the table for now.
For a state that lurches between drought anxiety and flood panic, a hurricane that fizzles before it arrives is good news, even if it makes for a less exciting forecast. Southern Californians can save their storm preparations for a day when the weather actually warrants them.
