Extreme fire danger returns to Southern California on Thursday
Extreme fire danger returns to Southern California on Thursday
by Brian Rokos
High winds will return to Southern California beginning early Thursday, Oct. 24, and will combine with extremely low humidity to create the danger of rapidly spreading wildfires through most of Friday, the National Weather Service said.
Red Flag warnings have been issued for the region: from 5 a.m. Thursday to 5 p.m. Friday for Orange County and the Inland Empire; and from 1 a.m. Thursday to 10 p.m. Friday for Los Angeles County. Such warnings are issued when conditions can contribute to extreme fire behavior.
“This is #CriticalFireWeather and caution should be used when outdoors,” Cal Fire said in a Twitter message.
Coastal Los Angeles County as well as downtown Los Angeles, the San Fernando Valley and San Gabriel Valley should see northeast winds from 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 65 mph in the canyons and hills during that period. Humidity will be as low as 2 percent with high temperatures of 92 to 97 degrees.
Orange County and the Inland Empire will see east to northeast winds of 25 to 35 mph with gusts to 50 mph. Winds will be strongest below the Cajon Pass and in the Santa Ana Mountains, with isolated gusts near 60 mph. For the San Gorgonio Pass, isolated gusts of 60 mph or more are more likely late Thursday or Friday morning, the weather service said. Humidity could be as low as 5 percent with high temperatures from 89 to 97 degrees during the Red Flag period.
A cooling trend will follow starting Sunday, with high temperatures declining into the low 70s through Tuesday.
Cal Fire urged motorists not to pull over in dry grass, make sure trailer chains don’t drag on the pavement and have the proper tire pressure to avoid driving on wheel rims. Landowners should not mow or trim dry grass because doing so could produce a spark. Spark arresters are required in wildland areas on all portable gasoline-powered equipment.
#RedFlagWarning in effect Wednesday until Friday throughout California due to gusty winds and low humidity. This is #CriticalFireWeather and caution should be used when outdoors. https://t.co/upBwccxXFO pic.twitter.com/c0erGTu5uU
— CAL FIRE (@CAL_FIRE) October 22, 2019
The weather service also noted that the strong winds could blow around unsecured objects and make driving high-profile vehicles more difficult. Areas of blowing sand and dust will be possible, which could create poor visibility.
Notable high temperatures Tuesday
San Fernando Valley 102
Mission Viejo 97
Riverside 97
San Bernardino 97
Long Beach 97
Whittier 97
Pasadena 97
El Monte 97
Anaheim 96
Torrance 93
Redlands 91
All credit goes to Brian Rokos
Originally published on https://www.dailynews.com