Moderate to strong Santa Ana winds are impacting all of Southern California. Peak winds in San Diego today clocked in over 50mph while some gusts up to 30mph reached the coast. Critical fire weather will continue through tomorrow with the worst of the winds into the overnight hours. Winds will start to taper off after sunrise but remain gusty, and it will be bone dry, so fire danger remains elevated.
A Red Flag Warning is in effect for the inland valleys until 7pm Thursday for northeasterly winds of 15 to 25mph and gusts of 35 to 50mph. The Red Flag Warning for the mountains lasts until 11am Friday for northeasterly winds of 20 to 30mph and gusts of 35 to 55mph. Isolated gusts may reach up to 60mph while humidity levels will plummet to 5 to 15% all across the county.
While the coast isn't in the Red Flag Warning we will still see northeasterly gusts of 10 to 30mph there and dry conditions.
The Santa Ana Wildfire Threat Index is forecasting a 'Moderate' event for San Diego through Thursday, which means upon ignition, fires will grow rapidly and will be difficult to control.
Vegetation will dry out even more with these Santa Ana winds, making it prime for a fire spark to lead to rapid fire growth. Now is the time to go over your evacuation plan with your household and have your essential items ready to go. If you haven't already, clear defensible space around your home, but avoid using electrical equipment, like chainsaws, that may spark a fire that could spread quickly in these dry conditions. Also, check your vehicle for anything dragging and could spark a fire as you drive.
Temperatures will be trending near to slightly above normal through Saturday for the coast and valleys, while temperatures remain 5 to 10 degrees below normal in the mountains and deserts tomorrow. It will gradually warm here by the weekend.
Offshore winds will continue through Saturday with the sea-breeze likely returning by Saturday night into Sunday. Humidity will slowly start to recover as the sea-breeze returns and temperatures will gradually cool into next week. There is a slight chance of marine layer drizzle Monday night into early Tuesday morning.
It's important to remain fire-safe as Santa Ana season continues through the winter, and until we see a decent storm, fire danger will remain elevated.
Thursday's Highs:
Coast: 70-79°
Inland: 73-80°
Mountains: 46-61°
Deserts: 70-73°
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