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LOS ANGELES (CNS) - With offshore winds dying down, red flag warnings denoting a high risk of wildfire expired across the Southland today, but forecasters warned that brush fires were still a danger thanks to low humidity.
The red flag warnings went into effect Monday amid powerful winds, relatively high temperatures, low humidity and the presence of very dry vegetation.
Those warnings expired at 10 a.m. in the San Gabriel Mountains in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, the forests stretching over the range -- the Angeles National Forest in L.A. County and Ventura County's Los Padres National Forest -- the Santa Monica Mountains, the Santa Clarita and San Fernando valleys, the foothills of the San Gabriel Valley and L.A.'s coastal zone, which includes beach cities, metropolitan L.A., the downtown area and the Hollywood Hills.
``Offshore winds have weakened and are not expected to return in the near term,'' according to the National Weather Service. ``However, elevated fire weather conditions will continue due to low humidities and breezy conditions.''
A red flag warning also expired in Orange County, where fire crews were continuing to battle the Canyon Fire 2 in the Anaheim/Orange/Tustin area. Forecasters noted that despite the cancellation of the warning, elevated fire weather conditions will continue into the afternoon.
A wind advisory indicating winds or gusts of 35 mph will be in effect until noon in the San Gabriel Mountains and Santa Clarita Valley. Winds of 20 to 30 mph gusting at 45 mph will blow through the San Gabriels, while in the Santa Clarita Valley, the forecast calls for winds of 15 to 25 mph with 35 mph gusts.
``Winds this strong can cause power outages,'' the NWS warned. ``Cross winds can make driving difficult, especially for drivers of high profile vehicles and vehicles towing trailers.''
The NWS forecast sunny skies in L.A. County today and highs of 74 degrees on Mount Wilson; 77 in Avalon; 79 at LAX; 80 in Palmdale and Lancaster; 83 in Long Beach; 84 in Saugus; 85 in Downtown L.A. and Burbank; 86 in San Gabriel; 87 in Pasadena; and 89 in Woodland Hills. Temperatures will decline by 1 to 8 degrees Wednesday and fall again by just a few degrees on Thursday before ramping up again on Friday, generally netting out at slightly higher levels than today.
Sunny skies were also forecast in Orange County, along with highs of 71 in Laguna Beach and San Clemente; 73 in Newport Beach; 83 in Anaheim, Irvine and Mission Viejo; and 85 in Yorba Linda and Fullerton. The cooler temperatures will change little over the next six days, but the higher temperatures will decline by up to 7 degrees Wednesday, then begin climbing again and revert to roughly today's levels by Saturday.