Much of Southern California was under a red flag warning Friday as bone-dry vegetation, very low humidity and gusty Santa Ana winds combined to threaten the possibility of what the National Weather Service called “extreme fire behavior.”
With gusts of between 30 and 40 miles per hour expected amid humidity levels of under 10 percent, the conditions “will result in several hours of critical fire weather” through this afternoon, warned an NWS statement.
The Santa Ana winds will bring warm temperatures to the Los Angeles area, with highs expected downtown and other inland areas to top out at 82 degrees. It’ll even be 78 at local beaches. Saturday will see temperatures drop a few degrees, although it’ll still be warm and beautiful. But it’ll be a lot cooler by Sunday with mercury going up to only 69 degrees inland and 66 at the beach. Despite a couple days of warm daytime temperatures, overnight lows each night will be brisk and in the low 50s.
But with the warm temperatures, dry conditions and high winds, the red flag warning denoting a high risk of wildfire will remain in force until 6 p.m. Friday in valley, forest, mountain and coastal areas of Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
In Los Angeles County, the red flag warning will be in effect in the Santa Monica and San Gabriel mountains, the Angeles National Forest, the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys, and the Los Angeles coastal zone, which includes beach cities, metropolitan Los Angeles, Downtown L.A., and the Hollywood Hills.
Northeast winds of between 15 and 25 mph were expected in the mountains, along with 40-mph gusts, according to the NWS, which also forecast winds of between 15 and 25 mph with 35-mph gusts in the Santa Clarita Valley and 10-20-mph winds with 30-mph gusts in Malibu and the San Fernando Valley.
“If fire ignition occurs, conditions are favorable for extreme fire behavior, which would threaten life and property,” the NWS statement said.
The NWS forecast sunny skies Friday and highs of 67 in Palmdale; 68 in Lancaster; 71 on Mount Wilson; 72 in San Clemente; 73 in Laguna Beach; 74 in Saugus and Newport Beach; 77 in Avalon; 78 in Anaheim; 79 at LAX; 80 in Long Beach, Woodland Hills, Fullerton and Irvine; 81 in San Gabriel; Yorba Linda and Mission Viejo; and 82 in downtown L.A., Pasadena and Burbank.
Temperatures will decline in some communities Saturday and remain the same in others. A significant cooling trend is expected to begin Sunday, when highs will fall into the 60s. Also in the forecast is a cold front expected to move over the coastal waters of Southern California Sunday, bringing gale-force winds and rough seas.
—City News Service