Red flag warning in effect due to Santa Ana winds

Moderate to strong Santa Ana winds affect all of Southern California. Peak winds in San Diego today were above 50 mph, with some gusts up to 30 mph reaching the coast. Critical fire weather will continue into tomorrow with the worst winds through overnight. Winds will begin to die down after sunrise but will remain gusty and it will be bone dry so fire danger remains high.

A red flag warning is in effect for the inner valleys until 10am. 7:00 PM Thursday for northeast winds 15 to 25 mph and gusts 35 to 50 mph. The red flag warning for the mountains lasts until 11 a.m. Friday for northeast winds 20 to 30 mph, with gusts 35 to 55 mph. Isolated gusts could reach 60 mph, while humidity levels will drop to 5 to 15% across the county.

Although the coast is not in the red flag warning, we will still see northeast winds of 10 to 30 mph there and dry conditions.

The Santa Ana Wildfire Threat Index is forecasting a ‘moderate’ event for San Diego through Thursday, meaning fires will grow quickly once ignited and will be difficult to control.

Vegetation will dry out even more with these Santa Ana winds, making it ideal for a fire spark that leads to rapid fire growth. Now is the time to review your evacuation plan with your household and have your essential items ready to go. If you haven’t already done so, clear safe space around your home, but avoid using electrical equipment, such as chainsaws, which could start a fire that can spread quickly in these dry conditions. Also check your vehicle for anything that drags and could start a fire while driving.

Temperatures will approach slightly above normal through Saturday for the coast and valleys, while temperatures will remain 5 to 10 degrees below normal in the mountains and deserts tomorrow. Here it will gradually warm up over the weekend.

Offshore winds will continue into Saturday with the sea breeze likely to return from Saturday night into Sunday. Humidity will slowly begin to recover as sea breezes return and temperatures will gradually cool into next week. There is a slight chance of light rain Monday night through early Tuesday morning.

Staying fire safe is important as the Santa Ana season continues through the winter and until we see a decent storm, fire danger will remain high.

Thursday’s highlights:
Coast: 70-79°
Inland: 73-80°
Mountains: 46-61°
Deserts: 70-73°

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