Gusting Santa Ana winds will again batter much of Southern California Monday and into mid-week, raising concerns about potential wildfires.
A red flag warning of critical fire danger conditions will be in effect until 4 a.m. Wednesday for the San Diego County mountains and inland valleys.
National Weather Service meteorologist Adam Roser said northeast and east winds of 20 to 30 mph are expected, with local gusts possible up to 60 mph in valley areas, and up to 65 in some mountains and passes.
“We're really going to see kind of a lot of easterly winds with this system," he said. "That's where they're going to be strongest throughout Southern California. So the San Diego County through the mountains and the foothills is going to be the highest winds.”
The high winds could also cause downed power lines. San Diego Gas & Electric has issued a Public Safety Power Shutoffs notice saying customers should prepare for a possible outage and never approach a downed line.
Forecasters noted that humidity levels will fall as low as 5% to 10%, creating a combination of windy and dry conditions that cause rapidly spreading wildfires.
“It’s very dangerous conditions right now,” Cal Fire Capt. Mike Cornette said.
Forecasters said the highest winds would be overnight in the mountains and foothills, but Cornette says that won’t reduce the fire danger.
“We're not going to get any of the nighttime recovery, with humidity overnight," he said. "It's going to be dry, windy conditions; even though it's not hot out, the fire danger is still there."
NWS forecasters said any fires that developed would likely spread quickly. They recommend not to burn out.
Cornette urged residents to use caution and avoid any activities that could ignite a wildfire, including dragging a chain while towing.
He said the wind could also make driving conditions difficult.
“Any high profile vehicles going up and over the passes, you might want to try to plan your route, to avoid the wind if possible, and, take necessary precautions,” Cornette said.
He urged residents also to install the Genasys Protect app to be alerted of any evacuation orders and warnings.
