A “Particularly Dangerous Situation” red flag is still in force for Southern California, and weather experts are still warning of an extremely high risk of fire.
Strong gusts of wind could still reach 50 to 70 mph even after the National Weather Service modified the high wind alert to a wind advisory. In regions including the lowlands, mountains, and certain coastal communities, the advisory will be in force until 3 p.m. on Wednesday.
“The winds underperformed today, but one more enhancement could happen tonight-tomorrow,” the National Weather Service stated.
For large areas of Ventura and Los Angeles counties, the PDS warning is in place until 3 p.m. According to the NWS, Santa Ana winds from the northeast to the east could reach up to 70 mph in mountainous regions and up to 50 mph in coastal and valley regions.
Up to 3 p.m. on Thursday, regions such as the Santa Susana Mountains, the western San Gabriel Mountains, and the I-5 corridor are under a red flag alert.
“The Particularly Dangerous Situation designation was designed to be issued once every few years (on average), so some years it may be issued several times and then we may go a few years without one,” Dr. Robert Munroe of the National Weather Service in Los Angeles
Predicting whether a fire will start is not the purpose of a PDS. The notice is to inform the public and first responders of a very dangerous situation.
According to the NWS, the high winds may result in toppled trees, localized power outages, and hazardous driving conditions. If a fire breaks out, residents who live close to dry vegetation or wildland should be ready to leave.
“We are extremely dry at the moment because the winds have been with us for the past few days. Thus, in addition to the low humidity, the vegetation is very dry,” CBS News Los Angeles Meteorologist Amber Lee stated.
Based on NWS records dating back to 1877, the 2024–25 year has been the second driest water year to date.
Although this wind event won’t be as strong as last week’s “life-threatening” windstorm, rapid growth is still a major worry.
After severe gusts helped spread flames and carry embers, thousands of residents near the Palisades and Eatonfire zones are still being evacuated. In addition to destroying thousands of buildings and leaving people without homes, the wildfires have claimed 25 lives.