Red Flag warnings issued in Southern California for high winds, dangerous fire conditions

Red Flag warnings have been issued in Southern California on Sunday evening ahead of strong Santa Ana winds and low humidity, setting the stage for dangerous fire conditions. The National Weather Service (NWS) said the warnings will go into effect at 7 p.m. on Sunday until 6 p.m. on Monday across portions of Los Angeles [...]

Nov 4, 2024 - 03:12
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Red Flag warnings issued in Southern California for high winds, dangerous fire conditions

Red Flag warnings have been issued in Southern California on Sunday evening ahead of strong Santa Ana winds and low humidity, setting the stage for dangerous fire conditions.

The National Weather Service (NWS) said the warnings will go into effect at 7 p.m. on Sunday until 6 p.m. on Monday across portions of Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

“A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now, or will shortly,” wrote NWS in a Sunday afternoon update. “Use extreme caution with anything that can spark a wildfire.”

Residents can expect wind gusts as high as 60 mph in the northern areas of the San Fernando Valley. In Santa Monica and the LAX area, gusts are expected to be closer to 20-30 mph, increasing the chances for wildfires. 

KTLA’s Rachel Menitoff spoke with a representative from Southern California Edison, who said the company is warning about 164,000 customers of possible power outages between Sunday and Monday in Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura and San Bernardino counties.

A couple of places in particular that might be affected by the winds more than others are Thousand Oaks, Santa Clarita, Rancho Cucamonga and the Lake Arrowhead area. 

NWS said that with the strong winds, relative humidity will drop into the teens and low 20s. 

“The strong winds and low humidity will combine with critically dry fuels to bring widespread critical fire weather conditions to many areas of Ventura and Los Angeles counties, resulting in Red Flag Warnings,” said NWS. “If a fire starts, there will likely be rapid fire growth.”

In addition, a fire weather watch will be in effect from 4 a.m. Wednesday until 6 p.m. Thursday for much of Los Angeles and Ventura counties due to the potential for significant Santa Ana wind events combined with low humidities, according to NWS.

Further north, NWS said a fire weather watch will be in effect from 6 p.m. Tuesday until 6 a.m. Wednesday for the mountains and foothills of San Luis Obispo and interior Santa Barbara counties.

“A Fire Weather Watch means that critical fire weather conditions are likely to occur in the coming days,” explained NWS. “Residents near wildland interfaces should prepare now on what to do if a wildfire breaks out.” 

For more safety information on wildfire preparedness, visit readyforwildfire.org and wildfirerisk.org.

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