Strong Santa Ana winds impacted the county last night into today fueling several fires across the county that firefighters jumped on quickly. Widespread gusts of 20 to 40mph were felt across the county while the wind-prone areas saw gusts over 70mph and the strongest wind gust was clocked at Sill Hill, located between Julian and Alpine, at 102mph, just shy of the record strongest wind gust of all-time of 105mph. Click here to see peak winds across the county.
The winds will ease tonight only to build again by tomorrow afternoon with a secondary peak on Thursday. Expect little to no humidity recovery overnight, with humidity levels hovering between 1 and 10%, which is exceptionally dry. The Fire Threat remains 'Critical' for most of the county through Thursday. Click here to see the Fire Weather Outlook released by NOAA.
The Red Flag Warning for the inland and mountain communities has been extended until 8pm Thursday.
Expect sustained winds out of the northeast to east of 20 to 30mph and gusts to 45mph, and locally 55+mph for the wind-prone areas. Where most people live, expect gusts of 15 to 35mph while the windier spots, like the I-8 through the mountains, including Alpine and Pine Valley, as well as locations like Palomar Mountain, Valley Center, Sill Hill, Campo, Boulevard, Potrero, Crestwood, Big Black Mountain and Hellhole Canyon, will see gusts of 40 to 60mph and locally higher.
Wind damage, downed trees and more power outages will be a concern through Thursday. You should secure any loose outdoor items and remove wind chimes. Pay attention to your surroundings and avoid standing or parking within striking distance or potentially falling trees or limbs.
Nights and mornings will remain chilly for the wind-sheltered locations with many areas waking up in the 40s and 30s, and even 20s for the coldest spots. Days will be getting warmer by week's end, with Thursday the warmest day for the coast and valleys when we'll see mostly 70s, and 80s for the warmer areas. The warmest day for the mountains and deserts will be Friday, near 60 in the mountains and mid-70s in the deserts.
Temperatures plummet this weekend, 10 to 15 degrees below average, as a storm brings the chance of rain and mountain snow to Southern California. Rain is looking more and more likely this weekend, with showers building during the day Saturday, on-and-off rain Sunday, and a slight chance for a few showers to linger into Monday. Early snow level forecast starts at 4,500' Saturday, dropping to 4,000' Sunday and potentially as low as 3,500' into Monday.
Preliminary rainfall totals will average between .25 to .50" for most of the county. Preliminary snowfall totals of 1 to 3" above 4,000' including Julian and Ranchita, and 2 to 6" above 5,000' including Mt. Laguna, Palomar Mountain, Cuyamaca Peak, and Lookout Mountain.
Stay with the Pinpoint Weather Team for updates on timing and totals.
Most of Southern California is in a level two drought or severe drought after only receiving 5% of our average rainfall since the water year began on October 1st making it one of the driest starts to the water year on record, and San Diego is the driest on record. San Diego's deficit continues to grow, now at 4.23" below average.
Wildfire Preparedness Tips:
Clear defensible space around your home.
Review your evacuation plan with your household.
Ensure your emergency kit is ready, including essential medications, supplies, and food including supplies for kids and pets.
Check your vehicle for anything that's dragging that could spark a fire.
Wednesday's Highs:
Coast: 65-75°
Inland: 75-80°
Mountains: 50-67°
Deserts: 69-72°
Follow ABC 10News Meteorologist Megan Parry on Facebook at Megan Parry 10News, Instagram @mis_meg_wx and Twitter @10NewsParry.
