Extremely dry and blustery conditions will create acute fire hazards Thursday and for the rest of the week across much of the San Diego area, meteorologists advised.
The expected onset of strong Santa Ana winds and the accompanying potential for critical combustion dangers in local inland valley and mountain locales prompted the National Weather Service to issue a red flag wildfire warning, effective from 3 p.m. Wednesday to 11 a.m. Friday.
San Diego Gas & Electric had been cutting power to some customers in San Diego County starting Wednesday to mitigate wildfire risk.
On Thursday, SDG&E begun power restoration patrols in areas where weather has improved. In some regions it was safe for crews to inspect equipment for damage in communities that were de-energized.
As of Thursday 3 p.m., 679 customers in Boulevard, Campo, Potrero and Viejas Reservation have power shutoff. See a live map of outages on SDG&E's website.
Over the warning period, humidity levels will fall as low as 11% and winds out of the north and northeast will range from 15 to 30 mph, with gusts hitting 55 mph in some spots, the NWS reported. As a result, any brush fires that erupt would likely spread rapidly and exhibit "extreme behavior," the agency advised.
Authorities advised the public to refrain from any outdoor burning while the wildfire warning remains in effect.
