After several small brush fires sparked Sunday across Los Angeles and Ventura counties, the season’s first Santa Ana wind event is bringing dangerous fire conditions again Monday.
High winds and low humidity across Southern California could prompt additional preventive power shutoffs, threatening at least 70,000 customers in L.A. and Ventura counties, according to Southern California Edison.
Most of the blazes that ignited Sunday — including in West Hills, North Hollywood, Wilmington and Camarillo — appeared to be contained or under control by Monday morning, but dangerous conditions remain as the wind event wraps up. The small fires Sunday only grew to a couple of acres, fire officials said.
“Right now we’re fortunate we haven’t seen any larger fires, but that’s something we could see on a day like today,” said Robbie Munroe, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. “With the strong winds and very dry conditions, rapid fire growth can occur.”
Santa Ana winds up to 70 mph blew into the region Sunday. At the Magic Mountain Truck Trail in the San Gabriel Mountains, the strongest gust was recorded at 104 mph early Monday, according to the National Weather Service.
Red Flag Warnings remain in effect for much of LA/Ventura counties through 10 pm Monday. Dangerous fire weather conditions due to strong Santa Ana winds + very low humidities. In addition, there will be threat of downed trees/ powerlines and power outages. #LAWeather #cawx pic.twitter.com/SLJ7GTZJqp
— NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) October 29, 2023
A red flag warning remains in effect through 10 p.m. Monday for much of L.A. and Ventura counties, with concerns of widespread wind gusts around 40 to 60 mph in the mountains, valleys and some coasts in the the Santa Ana wind corridor, and isolated gusts near 70 mph.
When gusts exceed 58 mph, Munroe said, downed trees and power lines become a major concern, as is road travel for high-profile vehicles. The city of Los Angeles remained under red flag parking restrictions, limiting street parking in designated areas to ensure emergency vehicles can quickly respond.
Winds are expected to be the strongest in the western San Fernando Valley and Santa Clarita Valley, with a high wind warning from the weather service forecasting that “power outages are likely.”
High winds are also a concern through Tuesday in the Inland Empire, San Bernardino County and Riverside County mountains, San Gorgonio Pass near Banning, Santa Ana Mountains and inland Orange County.
“We are expecting the worst of the winds through this afternoon, especially early afternoon,” Munroe said Monday morning. “Then we should be on a downward trend this afternoon and evening.”
Thousands in Ventura County were either already without power or imminently threatened to lose power, due to public safety power shutoffs during the wind event, according to the county’s online emergency dashboard.
Southern California Edison said about 2,000 customers in San Bernardino were without power due to the safety shutoffs, as well as about 500 in L.A. and Ventura counties, and thousands more were under alert for possible shutoffs.
A freeze warning was also issued for Monday and Tuesday mornings for the Antelope Valley.
This story originally appeared on LA Times
