As fire crews continued battling brush fires in Los Angeles County, a red flag warning of critical fire conditions expired Monday evening, but forecasters said a more severe wind event will blow into the area Tuesday night.

A red flag warning that went into effect at 6 p.m. Sunday expired at 6 p.m. Monday as winds died down to bring the Southland a needed break from gusty conditions, and giving firefighters a chance to gain the upper hand on fires burning in the western Sepulveda Pass and northern San Fernando Valley.

But the break will be short-lived.

According to the National Weather Service, potentially more damaging winds are expected late Tuesday night and continuing through Thursday evening. Another red flag warning will take effect at 11 p.m. Tuesday and remain in force until 6 p.m. Thursday.

“There is increasing confidence of a strong and damaging Santa Ana wind event late Tuesday evening into Thursday,” according to the National Weather Service. “The peak of the wind event is expected to be Wednesday when damaging wind gusts between 50 and 70 mph will be likely for the wind prone areas of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, with isolated gusts to 80 mph in the mountains. This Santa Ana wind event will likely be the strongest we have seen so far this season. These strong winds combined with a long duration of single digit humidities, and dry fuels will likely bring very critical fire weather conditions, making this an extreme red flag warning event.”

The warning will be in effect in the Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area, Los Angeles County Mountains, Angeles National Forest, the Los Angeles County coast including the downtown area and the San Fernando, Santa Clarita and San Gabriel valleys.

According to the NWS, sustained winds are expected to peak in mountain areas at 30 to 50 mph, along with gusts ranging from 60 to 70 mph. There is a chance of gusts up to 80 mph in some mountain areas, forecasters said.

The city of Los Angeles will enact red flag parking restrictions at 8 p.m. Tuesday, mandating that residents in high-fire-severity zones remove vehicles and other objects from streets to ensure access for fire vehicles — and for residents who may need to evacuate.

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