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This archival content was originally written for and published on KPCC.org. Keep in mind that links and images may no longer work — and references may be outdated.

KPCC Archive

What Exactly Is A Red Flag Warning?

SIMI VALLEY, CA - OCTOBER 30: An inmate firefighter from Oak Glen Conservation Camp near Yucaipa, California sets a backfire during the Easy Fire on October 30, 2019 near Simi Valley, California. The National Weather Service issued a rare extreme red flag warning for Southern California for gusts that could be the strongest in more than a decade, exceeding 80 mph, as the fast-moving brush fire threatens the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and nearby residential neighborhoods. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
An inmate firefighter from Oak Glen Conservation Camp near Yucaipa, California sets a backfire during the Easy Fire on October 30, 2019 near Simi Valley, California.
(
David McNew/Getty Images
)

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What Exactly Is A Red Flag Warning?

Red flag warning: They're some of the most dreaded words in fire-prone California. By now, many locals understand the term to basically mean, "Watch out for fires. It's about to get real."

KPCC has been demystifying some of the jargon around fires, so when Betsy Lawlor from Diamond Bar asked us to break down exactly what a red flag warning is, we were more than happy to explain.

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