'Fire Weather Watch' Coming To Murrieta

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — A red flag wildfire warning in effect in several sections of Riverside County because of high temperatures, dry air and gusty Santa Ana winds is set to expire at 10 a.m. Friday.

The latest warning, which signifies critical fire weather conditions are occurring, went into effect at 4 a.m. Thursday in the Riverside metropolitan area, Riverside County valleys and mountains, and the San Gorgonio Pass near Banning, the National Weather Service said.

A less severe fire weather watch, which signifies that critical fire weather conditions are forecast to occur and could become a red flag warning, is set to go into effect Saturday night and last until Sunday evening.

Santa Ana winds were expected to be around 20 to 30 mph early this morning with gusts of up to 50 mph, though the winds were expected to gradually decrease later in the morning. But the calmer winds are not expected to last long.

"Santa Ana winds (will) develop and strengthen again Saturday evening through Sunday evening," the NWS predicted.

Humidity levels are expected to be in the single digits Friday and will likely rise only slightly over the weekend, reaching the 10 to 15 percent range by Sunday, meteorologists said. Unseasonably warm temperatures will also continue Friday before backing off over the weekend. High temperatures in the Riverside metropolitan area will be 77 to 82 Friday, 67 to 73 on Saturday and 65 to 71 on Sunday.

In the mountains, high temperatures Friday will be 62 to 69 degrees Friday, 56 to 61 on Saturday and 48 to 57 on Sunday.

As long as the dry air and Santa Ana winds persist, "any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly and be difficult to contain," the weather service warned. "Outdoor burning should be avoided."

No red flag warning or fire weather watches were scheduled for the Coachella Valley, where the weather was forecast to remain mild throughout the weekend. High temperatures in the Coachella Valley Friday will be 76 degrees with light winds. The predicted high Saturday will be around 72. Sunday's predicted high of 66 to 71 will be accompanied by stronger winds of 25 to 35 mph with gusts to 50 mph.

As for the areas west of the mountains that remain under the red flag warning Friday, the heightened danger comes as firefighters continue to battle the 11-day-old, Santa Ana-driven Thomas Fire, now the fourth largest in state history, which has burned more than 242,000 acres and destroyed around 1,000 structures in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.

— By City News Service / Patch file photo by Renee Schiavone