Santa Ana wins in Southern California: Strong winds topple large tree in San Fernando; red flag warning in effect

SAN FERNANDO, Calif. (KABC) — Strong winds are blowing through parts of Southern California on Monday, and they’ve already caused some damage.

A large tree fell along Fox Street in San Fernando and landed between two vehicles. No injuries were reported.

“The wind is very strong and the reason is the proximity to the Foothills over there. It’s just whipping down the side of my house and I can hear the chimes all night,” said a resident named Cara.

The wind raises concerns about possible wildfires and a similar stronger Santa Ana wind event expected for later this week. Here’s what you need to know.

Red flag warning in effect

A red flag warning of critical fire hazard conditions will be in effect until Monday at 7 p.m. 6:00 PM in the San Gabriel Mountains, 14 Freeway Corridor, Santa Clarita Valley, Malibu Coast, Calabasas, San Fernando Valley, and Santa Monica Mountains Recreation Area.

According to the National Weather Service, wind gusts topping 50 mph were recorded in the early morning hours Monday in Santa Monica and the San Gabriel Mountains as the “moderate” Santa Ana wind event kicked off.

The wind is expected to gradually decrease over the afternoon and evening hours.

“Pop gusts are generally in the 30 to 50 mph range across typical wind-exposed areas of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, including the Malibu coast, except for the Los Angeles County mountains, where gusts of 50 to 70 mph are observed,” the NWS said.

Humidity was expected to drop to between 10% and 20% on Monday afternoon, exacerbating fire concerns.

What should SoCal expect?

The area is expected to get a respite from the wind on Tuesday, with a “stronger, more widespread and longer duration Santa Ana wind event likely to bring widespread critical fire weather conditions to wind-exposed areas of Los Angeles and Ventura counties Wednesday into Thursday.”

Most areas that were under red flag warnings Monday will be under a fire weather watch from late Tuesday night into Thursday afternoon, along with the Antelope Valley Foothills and San Gabriel Valley.

But the fire weather watch is likely to be upgraded to red flag warnings as the wind event unfolds, forecasters said.

When will the Santa Ana winds die?

The wind is expected to subside again on Thursday afternoon, and calmer weather is expected over the weekend.

Strong winds can cause power outages

As is typical with wind events in Santa Ana, Southern California Edison officials warned that some residents may be subject to “Public Safety Power Shutoffs,” where electricity is cut off to some areas experiencing particularly strong winds to reduce the possibility of , that fires are triggered by damaged equipment.

As of late Monday morning, about three dozen SCE customers in Los Angeles County had their electricity out due to the Public Safety Power Shutoffs program, while more than 35,600 customers in LA County and 8,100 in Orange County were in areas under consideration for power outages.

Firefighters are urging people to stay safe

Residents are asked to avoid any activity that could trigger a fire. Firefighters say the smallest spark can be dangerous.

“Be aware of the burn ban,” explained Sheila Kelliher of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. “If you can’t burn, don’t. If you’re someone who works with heavy equipment and machinery, make sure you don’t have chains hanging from your trailers, they cause sparks.”

“Everything is as dry as it can be because it’s been baking in the summer all summer and all of a sudden those Santa Ana winds start blowing, that’s what gets us,” she added. “That’s what aligns everything.”

City News Service, Inc. contributed to this report.