LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A red flag warning signifying a high risk of wildfire will be in force in much of the Southland until late this morning because of strong and gusty Santa Ana winds and low humidity.
The warning will be in force until 10 a.m. in the San Gabriel Mountains, the Angeles National Forest, the Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area, the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys, beach cities, metropolitan Los Angeles and the Hollywood Hills. Red flag warnings will also be in effect in large areas of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties but one in Orange County expired at 6 p.m. Thursday.
The strongest winds will blow in the San Gabriel mountains -- 20 to 30 miles per hour with gusts of up to 60 mph, according to the NWS. In the other areas under warning, including both the Santa Monicas and the city of Los Angeles, winds of 15 to 25 mph are expected, along with gusts of up to 45 mph.
In all cases, the winds will coincide with humidity levels of between 8 and 15 percent.
The NWS forecast sunny skies in L.A. County today and highs of 54 degrees on Mount Wilson; 56 in Palmdale and Lancaster; 60 in Avalon; 63 in Saugus; 65 in Pasadena ... Burbank and Woodland Hills; and 66 in Long Beach, Downtown L.A. and at LAX. On Saturday, temperatures will be 12 degrees higher on Mount Wilson, 7 degrees higher in Woodland Hills and 4 degrees higher in Downtown L.A., remaining roughly at those levels for at least through Thursday.
Sunny skies were forecast in Orange County today, along with highs of 63 in San Clemente; 64 in Laguna Beach; 66 in Newport Beach; 67 in Yorba Linda, Fullerton and Mission Viejo; and 68 in Anaheim and Irvine. Orange County conditions will remain the roughly same at least through next Thursday.
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