Fire weather watch issued as moderate Santa Ana winds expected in Southern California

Tuesday evening is predicted to see the development of another round of Santa Ana and Santa Lucia winds, which will intensify the fire weather conditions in Southern California.

From Tuesday at 10 p.m. until Thursday at 3 p.m., a fire weather watch has been issued by the National Weather Service for a large portion of Ventura County and western Los Angeles.

Wind gusts from the northeast might be as high as 55 mph. With humidity values between 10% and 20%, the dry air mass will move across the area. Particularly near plants, the dry air will make fire weather conditions worse.

The NWS issued weather wind advisories for a number of Southern California locations a week ago. The Franklin Fire, which destroyed scores of homes and burned over 4,000 acres in the Malibu Canyon near Pepperdine University, exploded last Monday.

What are Santa Ana winds?

“Air from a region of high pressure over the dry, desert region of the southwestern U.S. flows westward towards low pressure located off the California coast,” according to the NWS, is what causes Santa Ana winds.

Although Santa Ana winds can feel warm, they are more frequent in cooler months. According to the NWS, the chilly desert air is compressed as it descends mountains.

These winds have been known to start wildfires and harm property.

What are Santa Lucia winds?

According to the NWS, the causes of Santa Lucia winds are comparable to those of Santa Ana winds. They can be recognized by their physical location because they are named after the Santa Lucia mountains off the central coast of California.

Strong winds that travel offshore are produced by cold air from the interior.

Chelsea Hylton works at CBS Los Angeles as a web producer. She reports on local breaking news in Southern California. Hylton has held positions at KOMO 4 News in Seattle, Telemundo 52, The Los Angeles Times, and NBC LA.

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