A continued and persistent Santa Ana Wind event is ongoing across Southern California, where red flag warnings are in effect through Wednesday due to the Palisades, Hurst, and Eaton Fires.
On Monday, winds are expected to slightly increase throughout the day, with gusts between 45-55 mph. Nearly eight million people are under critical fire weather conditions, according to the Storm Prediction Center.
On Tuesday, winds are forecasted to peak from the morning through Wednesday at noon. The National Weather Service has issued “Particularly Dangerous Situation” red flag warnings for parts of Ventura and Los Angeles counties, including the Hurst Fire but not the Palisades and Eaton Fires. Although not as severe as last week, winds could still gust between 45-70 mph.
These gusty winds, combined with very dry air and ongoing drought, are exacerbating conditions for firefighters working to increase containment. There is a possibility of “extremely critical” fire weather, the highest level, being issued by the prediction center for parts of Ventura County on Tuesday.
The locations falling under the “Particularly Dangerous Situation” red flag warnings include the Western San Gabriel Mountains along the I-5 Corridor, Santa Susana Mountains, southern Ventura County Mountains, Ventura Valleys (mainly near Simi, Moorpark, South Mountain, and Piru to Santa Paula), Northern San Fernando Valley along Highways 118 and 210 from Porter Ranch to San Fernando, western Santa Monica Mountains, and the Ventura County Coastal Plain (mainly hills above Camarillo/Oxnard westward to Ventura).
