High Temperatures, Red Flag Warnings in Effect Across Southland

Sunny skies and high temperatures across Orange County on Thursday. High temperatures will climb sharply Thursday and by another several degrees Friday before a decline begins in earnest Monday.

A red flag warning signifying a risk of wildfire through the weekend was in effect in parts of the Southland today, and fire weather conditions will threaten the region amid strong Santa Ana winds, low humidity and very dry vegetation.

The red flag warning will be in effect until 3 p.m. Saturday in the Santa Clarita Valley, the San Gabriel Mountains in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, L.A. County's Angeles National Forest and the Los Padres National Forest in Ventura County. A sharp drop in humidity levels is expected in those areas beginning this afternoon, forecasters said.

North winds of between 20 and 30 mph are expected today in the red flag zone, gusting to between 40 and 50 mph. These winds will begin to weaken Thursday. At the same time, the humidity will fall to 15 per cent this afternoon, then to single digits tonight.

A red flag warning will take effect at 3 p.m. Thursday in the San Fernando Valley and Santa Monica Mountains.

Those areas will be swept by northeast-to-east winds of between 15 and 30 mph, gusting to between 35 and 45 mph. Humidity levels will dip below 15 percent late tonight in the areas and into single digits Thursday through Saturday.

"During this time, there will be rapid drying with relative humidity values in the teens and single digits becoming common across higher elevations," according to the National Weather Service. "Thursday through Saturday, gusty Santa Ana winds will bring significant warming and drying to much of Los Angeles and Ventura counties."

Forecasters said the strongest winds are likely to occur Thursday into Friday, with gusts between 35 and 45 miles per hour possible in mountain and valley areas.

The strongest winds today are expected in the Interstate 5 corridor in the San Gabriel Mountains and the mountains of Santa Barbara County.

"The combination of gusty offshore winds, warm temperatures, very low humidities and very dry fuels (vegetation) will likely bring critical fire weather conditions," according to the NWS. "Any fire ignitions will bring the potential for rapid fire spread along with extreme fire behavior."

A combination of sunny and partly cloudy skies was forecast for Los Angeles County today, along with highs of 69 on Mount Wilson; 73 at LAX; 76 in Avalon; 78 in downtown L.A. and Long Beach; 79 in Palmdale, Lancaster, Burbank and San Gabriel; 82 in Pasadena; and 83 in Saugus and Woodland Hills.

L.A County temperatures will climb Thursday -- by as much as 10 degrees in some communities -- and by another several degrees on Friday, beginning a cooling trend Sunday.

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