Santa Ana winds will again batter parts of the Southland starting Tuesday, lifting concerns about wildfires just as fire crews were making progress to fully surround the Franklin Fire in Malibu.
According to the National Weather Service, winds will likely peak Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.
“Northeast winds will rapidly develop with gusts likely ranging from 40 to 60 mph, strongest in the mountains,” according to the NWS. “These winds combined with minimum humidity in the 10 to 20 percent range will very likely lead to critical red flag fire weather conditions developing Tuesday afternoon to evening and continuing through Wednesday afternoon.”
The NWS issued a red flag warning that will be in place from 3 p.m. Tuesday through 6 p.m. Wednesday for the Santa Clarita Valley, Malibu Coast, Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area, Calabasas, the western San Fernando Valley, the western San Gabriel Mountains and the Golden State (5) and Antelope Valley (14) freeway corridors.
Forecasters noted that the winds “could affect the Franklin Fire area,” referring to the roughly 4,000-acre wildfire that was more than 50% contained as of Monday.
According to the NWS, the winds will bring slightly warmer temperatures, with maximum temperatures rising 2 to 3 degrees in most coastal and valley areas, with another 4 to 8 degrees of warming on Wednesday.
“Most max temps will be 10 to 15 degrees above normal and most of the coasts and valleys will see (temperatures) in the 70s with a smattering of lower 80s possible,” according to the NWS.