The powerful Santa Ana winds that have been exacerbating the dangerous and uncontrollable wildfires in the vicinity of Los Angeles are expected to subside later today, but there is a possibility of their return on Friday, as per meteorologists. The National Weather Service in Los Angeles reported the presence of a “high-speed river of air” lingering over Los Angeles County on Wednesday, contributing to a significant wind event. Encouragingly, this air current is shifting southward, gradually diminishing wind speeds over Los Angeles throughout the day. Nonetheless, the current high wind speeds indicate that it will take until early evening for the winds to drop below warning levels. A noticeable reduction in wind speeds is anticipated by late morning.
Looking ahead to Thursday, the weather service anticipates weaker winds, with advisory level winds primarily affecting the Los Angeles and eastern Ventura mountains. Tragically, the wildfires have already claimed two lives as they rapidly spread out of control near Los Angeles, resulting in the destruction of numerous structures, scorching of hillsides, and mandatory evacuations for thousands of residents. The relentless winds have been impeding firefighting efforts and fueling the expansion of the fires since they ignited on Tuesday.
In addition, wind and fire warnings were issued for inland Orange County extending into portions of the Northwest Inland Empire and foothills on Wednesday by the National Weather Service in San Diego. The wind alerts were slated to expire later in the day.
As of Wednesday morning, several hurricane-force wind gusts were recorded. Noteworthy examples include a peak gust of 71 mph at Hollywood Burbank Airport around 9 p.m. PST and gusts nearing 100 mph above 2,000 feet in the Santa Monica and San Gabriel mountains on Tuesday night.
Regrettably, another Santa Ana wind event is forecasted for Friday, with predominantly northeast winds expected from the Santa Clarita Valley to Point Mugu along the typical Santa Ana wind corridor. Wind advisories are likely to be in effect from early morning to early afternoon in this region. The downslope winds accompanying these conditions will result in reduced humidity levels and heightened fire risk.
Meteorologist Chris Dolce from Weather.com predicts the return of Santa Ana winds early next week following a brief respite over the weekend.
This situation underscores the critical need for vigilance and preparedness among residents in the affected areas as they contend with the ongoing wildfire threat exacerbated by the erratic and intense Santa Ana winds.
The challenges posed by these wildfires, fueled by the relentless Santa Ana winds, serve as a stark reminder of the importance of robust emergency response measures and community readiness in the face of such natural disasters.
Source:
USA TODAY
