Intense winds and an abrupt drop in humidity in parts of Southern California prompted the National Weather Service to issue red flag warnings for Sunday and Monday.
“If a fire starts, there will likely be rapid fire growth,’ the NWS announced on Sunday.
Gusty north to northeast winds and relative humidity near 15% will lead to periods of critical fire weather conditions in parts of the San Bernardino Mountains and below the Cajon Pass into the Inland Empire, forecasters said.
Winds are likely to be highest in and around mountains and in desert locations, the weather service said. Peak gusts are expected to be 35 to 45 mph.
In Los Angeles County, north to northeast winds of 35 mph to 55 mph could be on tap across the valleys, with the strongest winds at the higher terrain, as well as the Malibu coast. Humidity could drop as low as 10% in some spots, according to the NWS.
The wind surge is trailing the remnants of a trough of low pressure north of the region. Meteorologists had earlier predicted that the low would sink well to the south, generating appreciable rain on Saturday, but the weather pattern has since changed.
A Red Flag Warning is issued when factors like high winds and low humidity could lead to dangerous fires within 24 hours. A Fire Weather Watch is issued when those weather conditions could exist in the next 12 to 72 hours.
City News Service contributed to this report.
Related Articles
Car drives into crowd during street takeover in Anaheim; 2 teens hospitalized
South Carolina executes Richard Moore despite broadly supported plea to cut sentence to life
Salary proposed for LAPD’s next chief — and it’s a lot more than the last chief made
If a person is perched perilously on a freeway ramp, call 911
Lancaster man, 72, to be arraigned in fentanyl death of 17-month-old grandson