Red flag warnings to go into effect across Southern California starting Monday
A red flag warning will be in effect for a swath of Southern California from Los Angeles to San Diego early Monday due to strong Santa Ana winds, according to the National Weather Service.
Strong, dry winds combined with warm temperatures and low humidity will bring fire weather to parts of the San Gabriel and Santa Monica Mountains, as well as the San Fernando Valley and Ventura County, according to the weather service. Inland areas of Orange County will also be affected, as well as valleys and mountains in all of Bernardino and Riverside counties.
“It’s very common this time of year,” said Sebastian Westerink, a weather service meteorologist in San Diego. “It’s the peak of the Santa Ana wind season, I think. Said it was at least a mild event.”
Officials said gusts could reach 80 mph in the windiest corridors of Los Angeles and Ventura counties Monday night into Tuesday. Gusts of 40 to 60 mph are common, with gusts of up to 65 mph possible in the mountains and passes near San Diego.
The National Weather Service advises residents who live near wildland interfaces to be prepared to evacuate in the event of a wildfire and to avoid outdoor burning.
“Any fire that occurs has the potential to spread rapidly… which will threaten life and property,” warn explain. “The threat of fire weather conditions is increasing and is comparable to other historic fires in recent years, including the Wildfire and Thomas Fire.”
Temperatures along the coast and throughout the interior will drop into the mid-70s on Monday, Westerink said. Humidity will be in the single digits, around 7% near San Diego and 5% near Los Angeles, with individual readings as low as 2%, according to the National Weather Service.
Santa Ana winds originate from the cool, high-pressure air mass of the Great Basin that affects Southern California this time of year and fuels wildfires. Dry fuels also increase the risk of wildfires, the National Weather Service said.
“This is very common in early December,” said Mike Wofford, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. “It would be shocking if we didn’t have an event like this.”
The red flag warning will remain in effect until early Wednesday.
Last month’s devastating wildfires in Camarillo were blamed on strong Santa Ana winds. The fire, which started on Nov. 6 and burned for days, burned nearly 20,000 acres in western Ventura County, flattened 243 structures and damaged 243 buildings in Ventura County, according to data released by state fire officials. Dozens of buildings in nearby neighborhoods to the west.
The fire is the third most destructive wildfire in Southern California since at least 2013, according to statistics.
