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Santa Ana Winds Are Going To Heat Up LA And Ventura Counties (AKA Fire Weather)
Santa Ana winds are again headed for Southern California.
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Photo by Meduana
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The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag warning for Friday morning through Saturday night as strong, dry winds are expected to hit the area.
We have issued a Red Flag Warning for the moderate Santa Ana event expected this Friday in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. That basically means dry, windy, and warmer. #cawx pic.twitter.com/9NJh8ZLzuz
— NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) October 13, 2021
This is a typical Santa Ana event, with winds expected in the 30 to 40 mph range in most spots, though they could reach up to 50 mph in places such as the Santa Clarita Valley, as well as the western portion of the L.A. mountains down into Ventura County.
Mercifully, the winds aren’t expected to hit Santa Barbara County, where the Alisal Fire is still raging. As of Thursday morning it was only 5% contained.
#AlisalFire UPDATE. 16,801 acres burned with 5% containment. 1306 Firefighters on scene. Aircraft will be up making drops all day in support of ground resources putting in line and defending structures. Potential for increased Fire weather over the next few days.
— Santa Barbara County (@countyofsb) October 14, 2021
Temperatures will also climb to the mid 80s and 90s both inland and along the coast on Friday and Saturday, before cooling off considerably on Sunday as an onshore flow returns, bringing with it a marine layer.
As is always the case, these types of winds can make fires all but unstoppable, pushing flames quickly through long desiccated landscapes. Santa Ana season runs until April, so anticipate bad fires until we get some rain.
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