Gusty winds continued blowing across parts of the Southland Wednesday, but with far less ferocity than the conditions that battered the region earlier this week, and forecasters said winds will continue easing.
Red flag warnings of critical fire danger that took effect Monday night expired at 10 p.m. Tuesday, thanks to the lessening winds and slowly rising humidity levels.
“Northeast winds have decreased today (Wednesday) but gusty conditions will continue throughout the day,” according to the National Weather Service. “Gusts between 30 and 50 mph will be common across the mountains and valleys of Los Angeles and Ventura counties and the Ventura County coastal plain, while isolated gusts to 60 mph will occur over the windiest ridgetops.”
Forecasters said the winds will continue to diminish into Thursday, giving way to storm systems that could bring very light rain into early next week.
“The first system will arrive late Friday night and move through the area Saturday,” according to the NWS. “This system looks weak with only light precipitation expected. Another system is expected to arrive Monday with light to moderate amounts of precipitation into Tuesday and low snow levels.”
A wind advisory will be in effect until 6 p.m. Wednesday for most of Los Angeles County, and a high wind warning will linger until 6 p.m. for Orange County coastal areas and until 10 p.m. for inland Orange County.
North to northeast winds of 25 to 40 mph were expected in the San Clarita Valley, with gusts up to 55 mph. Gusts were expected to reach 55 mph in the San Fernando Valley, 50 mph in metro Los Angeles, and 60 mph in the mountains.
The winds should become weaker by nightfall, with those number dropping by 15 to 20 mph, forecasters said.
On Tuesday, the NWS recorded gusts topping 86 mph in some mountain areas, including Warm Springs and the Magic Mountain Truck Trail in northern Los Angeles County.
Other parts of the Santa Clarita Valley were hit with gusts topping 40 and 50 mph, as were select areas of the San Fernando Valley. Winds were also recorded near 50 mph in the Antelope Valley.
Red flag parking restrictions in the cities of Los Angeles and Pasadena were lifted early Wednesday morning thanks to improving conditions.
A few fires broke out Tuesday, including one in the Santa Clarita area that blackened 167 acres and a wind-driven brush fire near the westbound San Bernardino (10) Freeway in the San Dimas area that burned about 40 acres.
The high winds also prompted Southern California Edison to impose public safety power shutoffs, in which electricity is turned off for customers in wind-prone areas to prevent the possibility of downed power lines sparking wildfires.
As of Wednesday afternoon, 4,910 SCE customers in Los Angeles County had their power shut off, while another 10,463 customers were under consideration for shutoffs.
A map of the utility’s PSPS activity is available at www.sce.com/wildfire/psps.
The strong winds were accompanied by mild temperatures, with highs in the 60s and lower 70s, and the 50s in the mountains and high desert.
A cold weather alert was issued for the Antelope Valley through Friday. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said below-freezing temperatures were expected overnight, and warned that “children, the elderly, and people with disabilities or special medical needs are especially vulnerable during cold weather. Extra precaution should be taken to ensure they don’t get too cold when they are outside.”
Residents were also warned not to leave pets outside at night.