The agency has issued a red flag warning — signaling an elevated risk for fire danger — impacting a staggering 19 million individuals. Wind gusts exceeding 70 mph have been documented at various sites throughout the region. Swain has drawn attention to the meteorological shifts California has undergone in recent years, swinging between periods of drought and heavy precipitation, citing these fluctuations as a critical component of the prevailing fire weather in the area.
“It’s not solely the increased likelihood of drier conditions in a warming climate,” he articulated, according to Inside Climate News. “It’s the back-and-forth oscillation between these states that holds particular significance for the wildfire hazard in Southern California.”
When can we anticipate the conclusion of this fire weather phenomenon? A vehicle has been coated in fire retardant as crews combat the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon, Los Angeles, on Saturday.
Santa Ana winds are expected to persist until Wednesday in select parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, with potentially injurious gusts anticipated between the early hours of Tuesday and Wednesday morning, as per the National Weather Service. Although the winds are not projected to reach the same intensity and havoc wreaked by last week’s gusts, which instigated and propagated the two largest fires, perilous fire conditions remain prevalent, as outlined by the weather service.
Wednesday afternoon is anticipated to witness the most severe winds, prompting authorities to advise individuals to contemplate evacuating upon receiving a warning, rather than waiting for an obligatory order to do so.
A red flag warning remains active until Wednesday for a substantial portion of Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
