Increased ‘Red Flag’ Weather Conditions May Be Approaching Southern California
Impending perilous winds and low humidity levels are set to arrive as the area aids its recovery from the recent fires.
Weather experts in Southern California are monitoring an approaching system predicted to bring yet more hazardous winds and low humidity beginning January 20 to areas already affected by devastating wildfires last week.
Los Angeles and Ventura counties may face additional red-flag warnings signaling extreme fire risk, as humidity is anticipated to drop below 10 percent and Santa Ana winds might hit speeds of 50 miles per hour, per the local National Weather Service office.
Forecasters expect to confirm by Sunday if such warnings will be issued again.
“We’re anticipating two distinct periods next week with elevated winds,” National Weather Service Meteorologist Ryan Kittell mentioned to The Epoch Times on Thursday.
While a variety of scenarios are still being analyzed, there is a “very high” probability that the region will experience red-flag conditions at some point next week, according to Kittell.
“It’s a potential outcome, but we likely won’t finalize that assessment until Sunday at the earliest,” he stated.
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Similar conditions were cited for the rapid spread of flames across Southern California’s coastal areas beginning January 7, resulting in the loss of at least 25 lives and the destruction of thousands of homes in Pacific Palisades and Malibu.
Winds surged to 100 mph during the peak of the crisis, ravaging neighborhoods in what may rank as the priciest disaster in U.S. history.
The catastrophic fires charred land equivalent to the size of Washington state, prompting approximately 200,000 residents to flee their residences.
These strong, dry, and warm winds originate from the desert and stream toward the ocean. They occur when the desert is relatively cool and are prevalent during California’s cooler months from October through March, as noted by the University of California–Los Angeles.
The latest red-flag warnings were lifted on Wednesday, and an improvement in weather was anticipated for the rest of the week, according to the National Weather Service.
A beachfront home destroyed by the Palisades Fire in Malibu, Calif., on Jan. 15. Jae C. Hong/AP Photo
In a message released on Wednesday, the National Weather Service’s Los Angeles office indicated that while some relief from fire weather was expected by the end of the week, further unfavorable weather conditions were also forthcoming.
