Another bout of strong winds may be blowing into the mountainous areas of Southern California this weekend, raising some concerns about fire dangers in areas that are still burning from last week’s wind-whipped blazes.
The strongest gusts, between 50 to 70 miles per hour, are expected Saturday in southern Santa Barbara County, the I-5 corridor, Santa Clarita Valley and Santa Monica Mountains, according to the National Weather Service, putting the area in critical fire weather conditions. A Red Flag Warning is in place for parts of Santa Barbara County through Sunday night.
Los Angeles County faces a wind advisory from Saturday at 6 p.m. to Sunday at 11 a.m. for the San Fernando Valley and downtown/coastal areas. North winds are expected to blow at 20 to 30 miles per hour.
A “weak to moderate” Santa Ana wind event was forecast to begin Sunday and continue through the middle of next week in valleys and foothills. Breezy west winds up to 30 miles per hour are expected that day in the high desert, too, forecasters said.
“Northerly winds will increase through the Cajon Pass and spread south over the Santa Ana Mountains at 15 to 25 mph with peak gusts near 35 mph in the wind-prone areas,” the National Weather Service forecast states. “Increased northeast to east winds are possible through the Morongo and San Gorgonio passes as well.”
The wind accompanied by 10 to 15 percent humidity and higher temperatures will elevate the fire weather conditions in other regions too.
In Orange, western Riverside and southwestern San Bernardino counties, winds will start to increase Sunday morning and afternoon from the north, impacting all mountain areas into the Inland Empire, forecasters said. On Monday, a large area of high pressure off the coast will move eastward over California and will bring with it a bump in temperatures ranging from the mid-80s on the coast to mid-90s inland.
“It will remain very warm and dry on Tuesday with elevated fire weather conditions,” according to a forecast report. “But winds will be light.”
This forecast comes as some areas still battle wildfires, such as the Saddleridge fire which has charred nearly 8,400 acres in and around Sylmar.
With the weekend warming and winds, Southern California Edison continues to warn of possible “Public Safety Power Shutoffs” for customers. As of Friday afternoon, 56,622 customers in eight counties — including Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino — were at risk of losing power.
SUNDAY’S FORECASTED HIGH TEMPERATURES
San Fernando Valley
- Woodland Hills: 87 degrees
- Northridge: 87 degrees
- Burbank: 84 degrees
San Gabriel Valley
- Pasadena: 87 degrees
- San Gabriel: 85 degrees
- Whittier: 88 degrees
Inland Empire
- Rancho Cucamonga: 85 degrees
- Redlands: 84 degrees
- Riverside: 87 degrees
- San Bernardino: 86 degrees
- Temecula: 84 degrees
Orange County
- Anaheim: 85 degrees
- Huntington Beach: 75 degrees
- Laguna Beach: 75 degrees
- Santa Ana: 85 degrees
LA County coast
- Long Beach: 80 degrees
- Santa Monica: 77 degrees
- Torrance: 80 degrees
