High Winds Prompt Red Flag Warning

Strong northeast winds coupled with drier than normal conditions threatened to fuel a wildfire in the mountains and metropolitan areas of Riverside County today, meteorologists said.

The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for metropolitan and mountain areas until 8 p.m. The warning did not extend into the Coachella Valley.

According to the Weather Service, the lowest daytime humidity will be around 5 percent in metropolitan and mountain areas today. The agency said sustained 15 to 30 mile per hour winds and widespread gusts up to 45 mph were likely in the Inland Empire, while 20 to 30 mph sustained winds and gusts up to 45 mph were expected in the mountains.

A red flag warning is the Weather Service’s most serious fire-related warning. It is issued whenever conditions that could contribute to extreme fire behavior in the region arise.

Though drier than normal conditions were expected to continue into Tuesday, wind speeds were not expected to be as strong, especially in the mountains, and so a less-serious wind advisory for only metropolitan areas was scheduled until 2 p.m. Tuesday, according to the NWS.

A wind advisory means winds that could make driving difficult are occurring or are about to occur.

--City News Service