Beginning Tuesday, a severe windstorm has the potential to cause extensive damage and a high risk of fire across Southern California, and emergency services are prepared to respond in force.
The storm started Tuesday afternoon and peaked early Wednesday, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a severe fire risk signal for portions of Ventura and Los Angeles Counties. In the foothills and mountains, winds will be higher than 60 mph, with gusts as high as 80 to 100 mph.
Authorities are not taking any chances since the ideal circumstances for fire spread have been established by warm Santa Ana winds and extremely low humidity.
California Governor Gavin Newsom announced on Monday that he will deploy 109 specialized staff, seven water tenders, seven helicopters, and 65 fire engines in advance to combat the storm.
I urge all Californians to listen to local authorities and be ready to leave if instructed to do so, since we are not unfamiliar with the dangers of wildfires throughout the winter, Newsom added.
“Strong winds are coming,” the Los Angeles National Weather Service office warned sharply. According to the organization, “This is a Particularly Dangerous Situation,” meaning that the fire weather is at its worst right now.
During the storm, the weather service advised residents to avoid windows as well as to stay inside.
A “destructive, widespread, and potentially life-threatening windstorm” is expected to bring down trees and cut off power, the City of Los Angeles warned its citizens. Areas that are prone to fire, such as the San Fernando Valley and the Hollywood Hills, should be prepared for evacuation.
Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, stated during a livestream on Monday that “we really haven’t seen a season as dry as this one follow a season as wet as the previous one.”
“All of that extra abundant growth of grass and vegetation followed immediately by a wind event of this magnitude while it s still so incredibly dry,” he stated.
San Diego Gas & Energy stated that, as a precaution, it may cut off power to nearly 65,000 people.
According to the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, Tuesday will see the closure of all Malibu schools “due to worsening weather conditions and safety concerns.”
Students’ outside activities at schools that are predicted to be affected by strong winds will be restricted, according to the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Warmer-than-normal temperatures and frequent red flag fire warnings have been caused by dry Santa Ana winds.
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