Extreme red flag warning: ‘Dangerous’ winds, high fire risk set for L.A., Ventura areas
An extreme red flag warning is in effect for parts of Southern California beginning Tuesday night, as a strong Santa Ana wind event is poised to bring dangerous conditions for wildfires.
The wind is expected to reach speeds of 30 to 50 mph with gusts between 50 and 70 mph over most of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, the National Weather Service said. Some isolated wind gusts could get up to 80 mph.
Winds are forecast to be strongest on Wednesday. The warning is in effect from 11 p.m. Tuesday through 6 p.m. Thursday.
The wind event “could be one of the strongest of recent memory,” the National Weather Service said.
Along with the wind, humidity is expected to get into the single digits by Wednesday or Thursday, the agency said. In the driest and windiest locations, humidity could be as low as 1 or 2%.
“This all adds up to an extreme fire weather threat,” the National Weather Service said. “Use extreme caution with any potential ignition sources.”
If a fire sparks during the period of the warning, “conditions will be favorable for extreme fire behavior, long range spotting and very rapid fire spread which would threaten life and property,” the National Weather Service said. The strength of the winds could down trees and power lines, and cause outages.
The agency urged people in high fire risk areas to be ready to evacuate if officials order.
“Conditions are as dangerous for fire growth and behavior as we have seen in recent memory, due to the combination of strong winds, very low humidity, long duration and very dry fuels,” the National Weather Service said.
At least one major wildfire has already sparked in Southern California ahead of the wind event. The Getty Fire has burned more than 600 acres in the Los Angeles area and caused thousands of people to evacuate.
This story was originally published October 29, 2019 at 2:51 PM.
