Red Flag Warning Issued for Monrovia, San Gabriel Mountains

MOROVIA, CA — Strong winds and low humidity levels will raise the risk of wildfire in parts of the Southland from this afternoon through Sunday, the National Weather Service said.

A red flag warning will be in force in the Santa Clarita Valley from noon Thursdayto 6 a.m. Friday. A less serious fire weather watch is scheduled to take effect in that area from Friday morning through Sunday afternoon.

North-to-northwest winds of between 15 and 30 miles per hour gusting to 45 mph will blow across the Santa Clarita Valley from this afternoon into tonight and may continue between Friday and Sunday, according to an NWS statement. The humidity level is expected to be between 8 and 15 percent Thursday and Friday, then dip to between 5 and 10 percent over the weekend.

A red flag warning will also be in force from noon Thursday until 6 a.m. Friday in the Antelope Valley, where northwest winds of between of between 20 and 30 mph are expected, along with gusts of up to 50 mph through tonight.

A red flag warning will be in effect from noon Thursday until 2 p.m. Sunday in the San Gabriel Mountains in Los Angeles and Ventura counties and the forests they contain -- L.A. County's Angeles National Forest and the Los Padres National Forest in Ventura County.

The mountains will be swept by northwest-to-northeast winds of between 25 and 35 mph, gusting to 55 mph late Thursday afternoon through Thursday night, with the strongest winds expected along the Interstate 5 corridor, the statement said. Then, northeast winds of between 15 and 30 mph gusting to between 35 and 45 mph are forecast from Friday through Sunday. The humidity level will be between 5 and 15 percent.

Given the conditions expected, "if fire ignition occurs, there could be rapid spread of wildfire that would lead to a threat to life and property."

Red flag warnings will also be in force in Santa Barbara County.

A less serious fire weather watch will be in force from Friday morning through Sunday afternoon in the San Fernando Valley and the Santa Monica Mountains Recreational area. Those areas are expected to experience north-to- northwest winds of between 15 and 25 mph, with gusts of up to 35 mph, Friday through Sunday. The humidity level will be between 10 and 15 percent Friday, then fall to between 5 and 10 percent over the weekend.

Temperature highs, meanwhile, will be in the 70s and 80s.

— City News Service, photo via Shutterstock