The worst of Santa Ana’s high winds appear to be behind us, but Southern California is still not out of the woods when it comes to fire danger.
The National Weather Service on Tuesday extended a red flag warning for Los Angeles and Ventura counties through Thursday night.
The warning was originally scheduled to be lifted at 10pm on Tuesday when the winds had eased, but it remained in place as strong winds were expected to return on Wednesday.
The weather bureau said the winds would pick up on Wednesday afternoon, peak on Thursday morning, and subside in the evening. Extremely low humidity levels of less than 10% will continue to plague the region, creating a dry fuel source for potential fires.
Winds tend to weaken, esp. A red flag warning for seas and coasts has been extended until 8pm on Thursday. This is because winds are expected to pick up from Wednesday afternoon into Thursday afternoon (morning peak), which will combine with more severe dry conditions, leading to significant fire weather conditions. #cawx pic.twitter.com/9POuSWtBcr
— NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) January 22, 2025
Forecasters warned that red flag warnings could be extended into Friday in some of the region’s windiest areas. Still, the predicted winds pale in comparison to the 160 mph gusts recorded on Jan. 7, when the devastating Palisades and Eaton fires broke out. It is also expected to be calmer than the strong winds that blew through the region on Monday, when a rare warning of “particularly dangerous conditions” was in place.
Wind gusts of 88 mph were recorded on the Magic Mountain Track Trail in the western San Gabriel Mountains Monday morning. Wind gusts reached 110 mph in the Santa Susana Mountains Monday afternoon, said National Weather Service meteorologist Brian Lewis.
In even more good news, the area is expected to receive a light amount of rain late Friday into early Saturday.
Rain is much needed in the arid mountains, but it also brings the potential for debris flows and landslides in areas with burn scars. However, Bryan said future rains would not be heavy enough to cause serious damage. In Los Angeles County, less than a third of the rainfall is expected.
