Southern California will see cooler temperatures and a break from hot, dry weather this weekend, with a chance for rain showers and snow in the mountains.
However, the South Island is still not out of the woods when it comes to fire weather. Temperatures are expected to rise and Santa Ana winds return on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.
Light rain is expected in most parts of the region from Friday night into Saturday morning, the Bureau of Meteorology said. Temperatures are expected to drop in Los Angeles, with lows in the 40s and highs in the 60s Saturday night.
Mountains in San Bernardino and Riverside counties are expected to receive snowfall Friday night, with up to 2 inches expected in areas above 5,000 feet. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, a winter weather warning is in effect for these areas until 10 p.m. Friday.
Snow in November heralds the start of ski season. Big Bear’s Snow Summit Ski Resort is scheduled to open on November 23rd.
Mammoth Mountain opened its season on Friday. Mountain reports say 12 inches of snow has already fallen at the main lodge and 26 inches at the summit, with 3 to 5 inches expected to fall Friday afternoon and evening.
A wind advisory was issued for Los Angeles and Ventura counties from noon until 8 p.m. Friday, with wind gusts up to 45 mph hitting the area, the weather service said.
Winds are expected to ease over the weekend, but pick up again next week as the Santa Anas return Tuesday through Thursday.
“Due to strong Santa Ana winds, humidity will likely drop to the 5% to 15% range and temperatures will rise into the 70s to 80s during this period,” the weather service said in Friday’s forecast. . “As a result, significant fire weather conditions remain possible for portions of Los Angeles and Ventura counties Tuesday into Thursday.”
These wind gusts are not expected to be as strong as the strong winds that caused the rapid spread of wildfires earlier this month. These high winds and low humidity led the Japan Meteorological Agency to issue an unusual red flag for “particularly dangerous conditions” on November 7, warning of “widespread extreme fire weather conditions.”
Bureau of Meteorology meteorologist Kristan Lund said a decision on whether to issue a red flag warning would likely be made on Sunday or Monday, but the risk would be much lower than it was two weeks ago.
“Fires can still occur, but they won’t be as intense as wildfires,” she said. “Even with such strong winds, the fire will not grow quickly.”
