Santa Ana winds trigger a rare “Particularly Dangerous Situation” fire weather warning for Southern California

LOS ANGELES – Residents in Southern California face extreme fire danger Wednesday due to dry conditions coupled with strong Santa Ana winds.

“There is increasing confidence that a stronger, more widespread and prolonged wind event will occur in Santa Ana, bringing widespread critical fire weather conditions to many wind-prone areas of Los Angeles and Ventura counties Wednesday through Thursday,” it said the National Weather Service, which called the forecast a “particularly dangerous situation with warning signals in many areas.”

Scattered wind gusts between 80 and 100 mph are possible in the San Gabriel Mountains and foothills, with similar winds expected again in the mountains Thursday evening.

Damaging gusts of 50 to 70 mph could occur in wind-prone areas of L.A. and Ventura counties, likely in areas such as the Malibu and Ventura coasts, the L.A. Basin, Lake Casitas and Ojai, the NWS added. Gusty, red flag winds are also expected in the Channel Islands and Catalina Island.

Forecasters said humidity was expected to drop to 8% to 15% by Wednesday afternoon and continue into Thursday, bringing a dangerous combination of dry and windy conditions to the region.

Amid dry weather conditions, firefighters are battling a fire that has burned 1,500 acres and triggered a mandatory evacuation order in Ventura County.

RELATED: Fire in Ventura County prompts evacuations and road closures

The NWS said residents should expect a high risk of power outages and public safety shutdowns during this time.

Southern California Edison warned nearly 47,000 customers in Los Angeles County and more than 8,100 in Orange County that they would consider cuts once gusty winds return Wednesday.

Weather warnings

Red Flag Warnings for critical fire weather conditions apply to the following:

• from 2 a.m. Wednesday to 6 p.m. Thursday in Antelope Valley;
• from 11 a.m. Wednesday to 6 p.m. Thursday for LA County beaches and the Palos Verdes Hills;
• from 2:00 a.m. Wednesday to 11:00 a.m. Friday in the Santa Monica Mountains Recreation Area, the San Gabriel Mountains and the Antelope Valley Freeway Corridor (14), with 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday in these areas Warning “Red flag for particularly dangerous situations” applies on Thursday;
• from 2 a.m. Wednesday to 11 a.m. Friday in the Golden State (5) Freeway corridor;
• from Wednesday 2:00 a.m. to Thursday 6:00 p.m. in the Santa Clarita Valley, coastal Malibu and the San Fernando Valley, with the warning “Particularly Dangerous Situation” in these areas from Wednesday 9:00 a.m. to Wednesday 4:00 p.m with a red flag” applies;
• from 2 a.m. Wednesday to 6 p.m. Thursday in Calabasas, Agoura Hills, the Antelope Valley Foothills and the San Gabriel Valley;
• from 4 a.m. Wednesday to 6 p.m. Thursday for the Santa Ana Mountains
• from 11 a.m. Wednesday to 6 p.m. Thursday for Catalina Island and the inland coast of LA County, including downtown Los Angeles.
• from 11 a.m. Wednesday to 6 p.m. Thursday for coastal areas of Orange County

The CHP also issued a wind advisory throughout the Antelope Valley, including the 14 Freeway from Ward Road to the Kern County line, and urged people driving high-profile vehicles or RVs or towing trailers to exercise caution.

“This is a dangerous fire weather event. Any new fires in the red flag warning area will result in rapid fire spread, extreme fire behavior and long-distance visibility,” forecasters said.

Road closures

Due to the forecast winds, the California Highway Patrol announced that Topanga Canyon Boulevard between Mulholland Drive and Pacific Coast Highway will be closed to non-residents from 6 a.m. Wednesday to 6 a.m. Friday.

The Santa Ana windsThese are winds that generally blow from the Santa Ana Mountains southeast of Los Angeles toward the coast, hitting Southern California each year.