The wet weather will bring relief to Southern California after a prolonged period of dryness, but there’s concern that any bursts of heavy rainfall could cause flooding.

The weather provided relief for crews working to contain wildfires, though rain over a burn area ups the chances of flooding and mudslides

The National Weather Service issued a flood watch effective from 4 p.m. Sunday to 4 p.m. Monday for areas in or near burn scars created by the Palisades Fire, Eaton Fire, Hughes Fire and Bridge Fire, the latter blaze of which burned 56,000 acres last fall.

Extreme conditions helped fuel the fast-moving fires that destroyed thousands of homes. Scientists are working to figure out how climate change played a role in the disaster.

Much-needed rain has begun to fall over Southern California, bringing relief to the drought-stricken region but also the threat of toxic runoff.

Mudflows prompted the closures of at least some roads, including in Topanga Canyon and on parts of the Pacific Coast Highway.

More rain fell Monday on parts of Southern California after causing mudflows over the weekend, helping firefighters but boosting the risk of toxic ash runoff in areas scorched by Los Angeles-area wildfires.

This file captures the news of the California wildfires from Sunday, Jan. 27. For the latest updates on the fires, follow USA TODAY's coverage for Monday, Jan. 27. Intermittent showers sweeping across Southern California on Sunday provided welcome relief for firefighters battling devastating wildfires but threatened to bring an unwelcome side effect — mudslides.