'Particularly dangerous' wildfire conditions with Santa Ana wind gusts reaching up to 80 mph

Good morning and happy Friday eve. Forecasters say the Santa Anas are creating particularly dangerous fire conditions for mountains and valleys.

Cooler temperatures

Expect cooler weather throughout Southern California with highs from the coast to the valleys in the 70s — low 70s for the coastal areas, mid 70s for the valleys and inland areas. Low desert communities will also see highs in the mid 70s, meanwhile conditions will be colder in the high desert, with highs in the mid to low 60s.

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Tonight's overnight lows will be chilly for most of the Southland — lows in the mid 40s for the coastal areas, valleys and low desert, down to the 30s for the high desert. That means if you live in the high desert, make sure to bring your plants inside to prevent the frost from getting to them.

Wind and fire conditions

The National Weather Service is calling today's Santa Ana wind conditions ``particularly dangerous.''

Red flag warnings are in effect until this evening for L.A. and Ventura Counties where forecasters anticipate wind gusts up to 80 mph for mountains and foothills.

Isolated gusts up to 100 mph are possible in the San Gabriel mountains. Orange County is also under a red flag warning until 6 p.m. today, where the wind gusts there could reach up to 40 mph.

Meanwhile, red flag conditions are being extended for Riverside County mountains until Friday, but wind gusts there are much lower, up to 50 mph.

Most of Southern and Central Ventura county including the western Santa Monica Mountains are under a dense smoke advisory until 9 a.m. due to the Mountain and Broad fires that broke out yesterday.

Poor air quality will affect much of the Southland today due to winds blowing dust and ash all over. Here are some tips on how to protect yourself from wildfire smoke.