The deadly Santa Ana winds that sparked the fires have returned and are predicted to get stronger as firefighters continue to fight fires in Los Angeles that have destroyed entire communities.
At a news conference on Sunday, officials stated that the region’s significant fire risks are growing due to gusty offshore winds and consistently dry weather. According to Ariel Cohen, meteorologist in charge of the weather service office for Los Angeles, the National Weather Service classified it as a “Particularly Dangerous Situation,” a designation that has only been applied five times in the agency’s existence.
The meteorological service says certain red flag warnings will be phased out sooner, but most will expire at 6 p.m. Wednesday. The warnings encompass Southern California from the top of the Ventura County coastline to the Mexican border.
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The highest recorded winds in Southern California on Sunday were 67 mph at Magic Mountain Truck Trail in the Western San Gabriel Mountains, 65 mph in Fremont Canyon in the Santa Ana Mountains of Orange County, and 64 mph in Deer Canyon in the northeastern Orange County foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains.
Santa Ana wind gusts last week occasionally surpassed hurricane status before subsiding in the final days. The winds are being pushed from east to west against the dominant Pacific breezes by a high pressure system, according to federal forecasts. Winds compress their molecules and warm them as they descend mountains and plunge into Southern California’s metropolitan coastal plains. A surface that hasn’t had much rain in months will be met by them.
According to Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone, these winds, low humidity, and extremely dry vegetation will continue to raise the county’s fire risk.
According to Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley, the threat is projected to persist until Wednesday, although the worst winds are predicted to hit L.A. on Tuesday.
According to her, it’s critical that the community is aware that severe wind events are imminent.
Karen Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles, who has been under fire for the city’s fire readiness, reassured residents that the city is prepared to withstand the high winds with the help of all of its firefighters.
For the next four days, the state’s wind gust forecast is anticipated to stay largely stable.
On Sunday, winds exceeding 60 mph were already recorded in mountainous regions. Winds of 25 to 40 mph are predicted in these regions over the next three days, with gusts of up to 70 mph possible.
Winds along the shore will be between 20 and 30 mph with gusts as high as 55 mph.
Winds of 10 to 20 mph with gusts of up to 30 mph are predicted for the downtown area of Los Angeles.
The fires are especially difficult to contain because of the strong winds that enable the fire to spread swiftly, with embers starting fires in new locations.
As was the case with Pacific Palisades last week, they can also assist a wildfire in spreading embers into otherwise normal residential districts, crossing highways, and spanning hilltops, turning a fire into an urban inferno.
Cohen of the weather service stated, “We are not expecting winds to be anywhere near what we had for the catastrophic event,” in reference to the windstorm that occurred last week. “But it’s still strong enough to create explosive fire growth.”