A strong and potentially destructive Santa Ana wind event is predicted for Southern California, prompting the issuance of a rare Particularly Dangerous Situation warning.
Los Angeles and Ventura counties will be under a PDS warning, according to the National Weather Service. Monday at noon will mark the start of the alert, which will last until Tuesday at 10 a.m.
According to weather forecasters, Monday afternoon will see the strongest winds, which will intensify rapidly throughout the day. According to the NWS, winds will begin in LA County’s mountainous regions and move into the valleys and coastal regions by Tuesday evening.
There will be a red flag warning in place from Monday at 8 a.m. to Tuesday at 2 p.m.
The humidity will be extremely low, sometimes even in the single digits. Extreme fire hazard will result from the dry weather and strong winds.
In the foothills and mountains, winds will range from 35 to 50 mph, with sporadic gusts of 60 to 80 mph.
“If fire ignition occurs, conditions are favorable for extreme fire behavior and rapid fire growth, which would threaten life and property,” the National Weather Service stated.
Areas of most concern in Los Angeles County:
Areas of greatest concern in Ventura County:
High Wind Warning
Additionally, Ventura and portions of Los Angeles counties are under a high wind warning from the NWS for Monday afternoon through Tuesday morning.
Trees and electricity wires may fall due to damaging winds. Stronger winds might cause widespread outages in the area.
Residents are advised by weather officials to stay indoors during the windstorm and stay away from windows. Additionally, they advise anchoring large items outside that can blow around and cause harm.
Prepositioned resources
In preparation for the fire season, California Governor Gavin Newsom declared on Sunday that he was mobilizing and prepositioning over 130 fire engines, water tenders, and aircraft to Southern California.
Two weeks after fierce Santa Ana winds caused flames to rage across the area, Newsom took action.
“The significance of being in the right place at the right time has been highlighted by the recent firestorms in Los Angeles. Crews are able to react more quickly and forcefully when specialist personnel and equipment are placed strategically in wildfire-prone areas, according to Newsom.
As the next windstorm draws near, firefighters continue to work on the Eaton and Palisades fires.
Additionally, Cal Fire has taken action and set up more than 790 firefighters, including 76 engines, who are prepared to respond in the event of a fire.