Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties will face particularly high wildfire risks as tens of thousands of residents face potential power shutoffs — with forecasters announcing a rare weather advisory that is typically only issued once every few years, according to the National Weather Service. NWS).
With extremely low humidity and strong winds, which can cause fires to ignite and spread quickly, NWS has issued a Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS) Red Flag Warning, warning of the possibility of “extreme fire behavior and rapid growth” as well as tree felling and power outages by utilities trying to prevent wildfires that the electricity system could cause.
“The NWS is issuing a PDS Red Flag Warning to alert emergency officials and the public of a persistent or impending firefighting pattern that is particularly dangerous,” NWS said in a statement Tuesday, warning of potentially “extreme” and “volatile” conditions .
ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images
Southern California Edison said power could be turned off for about 54,861 customers, while 1,113 customers were already scheduled for outages at 6:30 p.m. By then, 312 customers had already turned off the power.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has also announced the possibility of power outages, saying planned shutoffs could be implemented and unintentional power outages could also occur, with strong winds destroying power lines.
The IBS warning is in effect from 9 a.m. Wednesday to 4 p.m. Wednesday in the San Fernando Valley, Santa Clarita Valley, the valleys of central and southeastern Ventura County and the interior coast of Ventura County to the beaches from Malibu to Oxnard. Another red flag IBS warning is in effect from 9 a.m. Wednesday through 9 a.m. Thursday for the mountains of southern Ventura County and the San Gabriel, Santa Susana and Santa Monica mountains.
The south coast of Santa Barbara County is expected to experience similar but less severe conditions, while red flag warnings are also being issued in other parts of Southern California, including areas of the Inland Empire and Orange and San Diego counties.
“Any new fire in the Red Flag Warning Area – and especially the PDS Red Flag Warning Area – will result in rapid fire spread, extreme fire behavior and long-range detection,” the weather advisory said.
Santa Ana winds will be particularly strong and widespread in parts of LA and Ventura counties, with the strongest and potentially damaging gusts expected to reach 60 to 80 miles per hour in the mountains and foothills of the counties Wednesday morning through Wednesday evening amounts, according to forecasters. . Some of the San Gabriel Mountains are expected to see isolated wind gusts of 80 to 100 miles per hour.
Meanwhile, coastal Malibu and the coastal plain of Ventura County, among other coastal and valley areas of LA and Ventura counties, could see “damaging” wind gusts between 50 and 75 miles per hour, NWS said. Humidity in these areas is expected to drop to between 8 and 15 percent, conditions that forecasters say will likely last into Thursday and Friday.
The fire season in Southern California usually runs from late spring, around May and June, through October and November. However, according to the Western Fire Chiefs Association (WFCA), wildfires that break out later in the season could prove worse due to differences in terrain and weather.
“While there may be fewer fires in September and October, the fires that do occur are far more destructive and burn many more acres,” according to the WFCA website. “This explosive effect is due to a combination of dry vegetation from hot summer weather and intense dry winds blowing through the state during the fall.”
