Wind, Fire Weather Persists In Laguna Beach

LAGUNA BEACH, CA — Laguna Beach, and much of Orange County, remained under a red flag warning Monday signifying a high risk of wildfire due to continued high winds and low humidity, the National Weather Service reported.

The warning went into effect at 6 p.m. Sunday across Orange County, and would remain in effect until at least 6 p.m. Monday. A less serious fire weather watch was expected from 11 p.m. Tuesday nigh until 6 p.m. Thursday, officials said.

Winds gusted the strongest in Fremont Canyon, with 44 miles per hour gusts overnight, and elsewhere across the county winds blew in the 40 and 30 miles per hour range, according to NWS reports.

Orange County's forecast called for sunny skies in the forecast Monday, along with highs of 56 on Santiago Peak; 67 on Ortega Highway at 2,600 feet; 74 in Laguna Beach; 75 in San Clemente, Fremont Canyon and Trabuco Canyon; 76 in Newport Beach and Yorba Linda; 78 in Fullerton, Anaheim and Mission Viejo; and 80 in Irvine. Temperatures will be up to six degrees lower Tuesday and a few degrees higher Wednesday.

The San Gabriel Mountains in L.A. and Ventura counties and L.A. County's San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys also remain under a red flag warning, the National Weather Service said. At 10 p.m. Sunday, it went into force in the Santa Monica Mountains, the San Gabriel Valley and along the L.A. and Ventura County coastlines.

The less serious fire weather watch was declared from 11 p.m. Tuesday to 6 p.m. Thursday in much of L.A. and Ventura counties because of strong Santa Ana winds and very low humidity, but, with the NWS reporting the next Santa Ana wind event may be even stronger than the current one, the watch appeared likely to be upgraded to a red flag warning.

The NWS warned that gusts of 40 to 50 miles per hour are expected in L.A. and Ventura counties Monday morning, along with humidity levels of between 5 and 10 percent.
In the Antelope Valley, a freeze warning will be in effect until 9 a.m. Temperatures could dip to 28 degrees.

The NWS forecast sunny skies in L.A. County and highs of 60 on Mount Wilson; 64 in Palmdale and Lancaster; 70 in Saugus; 71 in Avalon; 76 in Burbank and at LAX; and 77 in Downtown L.A., Long Beach, Pasadena, San Gabriel and Woodland Hills. Tuesday's temperatures will be up to five degrees lower and roughly the same on Wednesday before ramping up by several degrees on Thursday, when highs will be 79 in Downtown L.A. and Woodland Hills.