With many 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.

The San Diego County Office of Education said Friday that Eastlake High, Eastlake Middle, Olympian High, East Hills Academy, High Tech High Chula Vista and Arroyo Vista Charter School would also be closed. Southwestern College said faculty, students and staff would move to remote work Friday due to the fire.

First discovered: 6:52 a.m. Jan. 24 A new wildfire was reported today at 6:52 a.m. in San Diego County. The wildfire has been burning on private land. Currently, there are no details on the containment or cause of the fire.

The last time it was this dry in January, there were barely more than 500 people in San Diego. The year was 1850, and only a quarter-inch of rain had fallen in six months. It made the region ripe for wildfire — but that wasn’t much of a concern. The city’s population was clustered along the coast, far from the backcountry, where most fires burned.

County's unemployment rate dropped in December to 4.3% from a revised 4.6% in November and in line with the year-ago estimate, according to figures released Friday by the state Employment Development Department.

As wildfires continued to burn in Los Angeles, three fires broke out in San Diego County, prompting evacuation orders and warnings.

Another blast of Santa Ana winds Thursday prompted San Diego Gas & Electric to cut off electricity to thousands of residents in another of a wave of power outages that have continued off and on for two weeks.