Hot, dry Santa Ana winds with triple digit temperatures in a fall heat wave are bringing high fire danger to Southern California this weekend and through the beginning of the week.
A red flag warning of wildfire danger is in effect through the weekend in mountain, forest and valley areas of Southern California, and forecasters warned the threat will persist because of strong Santa Ana winds, dry vegetation and low humidity.
Temperatures will be in the 90s in downtown Los Angeles through Monday.
The warning will be in effect until 2 p.m. Sunday in the San Gabriel Mountains in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, L.A. County’s Angeles National Forest, Ventura County’s Los Padres National Forest, and the Santa Clarita Valley.
Northeast winds of 15 to 30 miles per hour gusting to between 35 and 45 mph are expected in the mountains and forests through Sunday, along with humidity levels of only between 5 and 15 percent, according to a National Weather Service statement.
In the Santa Clarita Valley, north-to-northwest winds of between 15 and 25 mph with gusts of between 30 and 40 mph are expected through Sunday amid humidity levels of between 10 and 20 percent, it said.
In the Santa Monica Mountains and the San Fernando Valley, a red flag warning will be in effect until 2 p.m. Sunday because of winds of between 15 and 25 mph, gusts of up to 35 mph, and humidity levels in single digits and low teens, according to the weather service.
In these conditions, “if fire ignition occurs, there could be rapid spread of wildfire,” leading to a loss of life and property, the statement said.
The weather service forecast calls for temperatures up to the 100 degrees or more in Woodland Hills, then continuing to climb until Tuesday, when a downward trend will begin in several communities.
— City News Service