The worst of the Santa Ana winds are over, but it remains dry and gusty, leading to elevated fire danger. We saw widespread gusts of 30 to 45mph and isolated gusts over 60mph during the worst of the wind.
A Red Flag Warning is set to expire at 7pm for the inland valleys while it continues for the mountains until 11am Friday. Expect northeasterly winds of 15 to 25mph and gusts up to 40mph.
Humidity is starting to recover along the coast as the sea breeze has returned, but things remain dry away from the immediate coast, with humidity levels between 5 and 20%. Humidity will recover across the county late Saturday as the sea breeze spreads inland, and we may even see the marine layer return as early as Saturday night.
Temperatures will be trending near to slightly above normal through Saturday for the coast and valleys, while the mountains and deserts, which have seen temperatures 5 to 15 degrees below normal, will be warming up into the weekend.
A weak cold front will pass through the county Monday into Tuesday bringing gusty westerly winds to the mountains and deserts and a slight chance of drizzle to a few light showers to the coast and valleys Monday night into Tuesday morning. It will also be cooler early next week with temperatures trending about 5 degrees below normal before warming again by Wednesday.
As Santa Ana season continues to ramp up into the winter, now is the time to review your evacuation plan with your household and have your essential items easy to grab. If you haven't already, use this weekend to clear defensible space around your home. Also, check your vehicle for anything dragging that could spark a fire as you drive.
Friday's Highs:
Coast: 67-76°
Inland: 74-80°
Mountains: 55-70°
Deserts: 74-78°
Follow ABC 10News Meteorologist Megan Parry on Facebook at Megan Parry 10News, Instagram @mis_meg_wx and Twitter @10NewsParry.
