Results tagged “santaanawinds”

With our Thanksgiving-week weather forecast calling for high temps and Santa Ana winds we're also finding that our air is full of "ash and dust from areas burned by recent wildfires [which] is being blown across Los Angeles County," according to CBS2.

Some radio stations have already busted out the crooning sounds of Christmas tunes (KOST, I'm looking at you) and it's been a few weeks now that lots of shops have had red-and-green decorations for sale and on display, but we're not even at Thanksgiving yet. Looks like our weather won't get the chance to play catch up, either. "You won't need a crackling fire or a sweater this Thanksgiving," jokes LA Now.

The temperatures have been great so far this week, but they might be slightly spoiled as Santa Ana winds pick up beginning Wednesday night and last through Friday. "Humidities will be dropping through the day Wednesday and by Wednesday night into Thursday many areas of Southwest California will be experiencing a combination of gusty Santa Ana winds and humidities at or below 15 percent," the National Weather Service warned.

The fire-friendly Red Flag was lifted last night as Southern California expects a small break from the hot temperatures of last week. "Basically what we're expecting early this week is a trough of low pressure to move arcross the West Coast, and as a result what that will do for us is cool our temperatures and an increase in our onshore winds from the sea, bringing the marine layer.. and cooling our temperatures significantly," explained David Sweet, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

A number of fires may be burning in Ventura County and in the Inland Empire, but the Station and Morris Fires are still causing concern for health officials. No, it's not the spread of fire or smoke this time; rather, it's ash blown by the arriving Santa Ana winds.

As the Guiberson Fire burns, already some 300 acres, in Ventura County, another fire has prompted evacuations in the Riverside County city of Norco. Mandatory evacuations are underway in the area of Vandermolen Drive and Valley Drive, according to ABC7. The blaze, located at the border of the city of Riverside, where firefighters are trying to contain it on a hill near homes, is moving in a northward direction deeper into Norco and into Corona, according to a fire captain speaking to KNX1070. Temperatures are currently 102 degrees.

Forest Service officials this morning upped containment of the Station Fire one point to 94 percent after a weekend of aggressive air attacks meant to pre-empt the coming Red Flag fire weather of hotter temperatures, lower humidity and increased winds. A Red Flag will go into effect at midnight through Wednesday evening.

Although tomorrow afternoon we officially usher in fall, we're about to be swept up in another heat wave, this time complete with hot, dry Santa Ana winds. Not only does that mean we will be uncomfortably hot for another stretch of time, but also the risk for wildfires is dramatically higher. "Fire crews across Southern California will be on alert as a red flag warning goes into effect at midnight," explains abc7.com.

The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for Los Angeles and Ventura Counties for today until 4 p.m. They caution that "Santa Ana winds with gusts up to as high as 70 mph will occur through and below many passes and canyons of Ventura and Los Angeles County through this afternoon. At the same time...humidity levels will remain low with poor nighttime recovery. In addition...warm temperatures in the 80s and 90s will continue. As a result...critical fire weather conditions exist. The mixture of strong winds...low humidities...warm temperatures and very dry fuels will continue to bring a high fire danger through this afternoon across nearly all of Ventura and Los Angeles County."

The National Weather Service has pushed back the end date of the current red flag, originally scheduled to end tonight, to Sunday night at 9:00 p.m. That means firefighters will have their extra guard up over the weekend as Santa Ana winds continue to blow west over the Southland's near humid-less air.

A wildfire that began at 12:45 a.m. northwest of Interstate 15 and north of the Foothill Freeway in the hills of Fontana has grown to 250-acres, prompting the voluntary evactuation of about 100 homes and the closure of two schools.