LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Santa Ana winds will again gust across the Southland today and continue into Wednesday, combining with low humidity levels to create a heightened risk of wildfires.
Windy conditions were expected to begin Monday evening primarily in Santa Barbara County, then spread across Los Angeles and Ventura counties late Monday night and into Tuesday.
“Wind gusts with this event will likely be in the 30 to 45 mph range,'' according to the National Weather Service. “(Minimum) humidities will fall into the single digits and lower teens, resulting in elevated fire weather conditions.''
Wind advisories will be in effect from 6 a.m. Tuesday to 2 p.m. Wednesday in the Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area, Los Angeles County mountains and the Santa Clarita Valley. NWS forecasters warned that the winds will make driving treacherous for high-profile vehicles, while also bringing down tree limbs and potentially knocking out power.
A few power outages may also result.
“Offshore flow and winds aloft increase Tuesday night into Wednesday, and this will lead to stronger Santa Ana winds along with continued very low humidities,'' according to the NWS. “The current forecast calls for wind gusts between 35 and 55 mph will local gusts to 65 mph across wind prone areas of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, with the strongest winds focused in the mountains and Santa Clarita Valley.''
The NWS warned that fire conditions will worsen Wednesday as compared to Tuesday, but the agency does not anticipate issuing any fire weather watches or red flag warnings.
“The offshore winds will weaken considerably Thursday before turning onshore, leading to a significant cooling trend starting Friday and continuing into the weekend,'' according to the NWS.
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