With more Santa Ana winds predicted to hit the area, weather officials have issued a fresh round of red flag warnings as the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles County continue to burn.
A round of high wind warnings that were supposed to end Saturday evening were extended until Sunday at 2 p.m. in the majority of the county’s mountain ranges, including the Santa Susana Mountains, San Gabriel Mountains, Mount Wilson, Mount Baldy, and Wrightwood, among others, as firefighters attempted to continue gaining containment of the Palisades Fire burning close to the coast and the Eaton Fire burning farther to the east.
Some wind gusts from the north to northeast might average 25 to 40 miles per hour, with the highest gusts reaching 65 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
Authorities warned that there could be extensive power disruptions and that the wind could topple trees or electrical lines.
In addition to the winds, NWS issued a red flag warning through Wednesday of next week because of the heightened risk of fire caused by the dry weather and strong winds.
Parts of the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica Mountains may experience winds of up to 70 mph, while other regions may have periods of 15 to 30 mph with gusts as high as 50 mph. The strongest winds are predicted to last through Saturday night, Sunday morning, and Monday and Tuesday.
The majority of Ventura and Los Angeles counties were under the warning; the latter has been devastated by flames since the greatest windstorm in recent memory prompted brush fires to spread at a catastrophic rate.
“At least a brief break in the extreme fire weather conditions are likely by Friday with significantly increased humidity and lighter winds with a 20 percent of very light rain next week,” the National Weather Service stated.
Winds and low humidity are accompanied by persistent worries about poor air quality, which are exacerbated by the massive amount of smoke that covers the skies over Los Angeles.