The National Weather Service warned Sunday night that gusty, possibly damaging winds will build across Los Angeles County through Monday morning and as temperatures rise through the week, so will the danger of brush fires.
North to northeast winds with gusts between 35 and 40 mph were forecast for the Santa Clarita and San Fernando valleys as well as the Santa Monica Mountains, with sustained winds in the 15-25 mph range, said NWS Meteorologist Joe Sirard.
The gusts could down trees and branches and create hazardous driving conditions for high-profile vehicles. A wind advisory has been issued for those areas for 3 a.m. to noon Monday.
“It’s the usual case where we have some high pressure building to the northeast, causing off-shore Santa Ana winds,” Sirard said, adding that the upper-level ridge of high pressure has built in quickly in the aftermath of the storm system that brought rain to the area on Friday and Saturday.
Santa Ana winds are expected to continue throughout the week and could again reach advisory levels between Wednesday and Friday, Sirard said.
Relative humidity will fall as the week progresses, hitting the teens along the coast and single-digits in some inland valleys, and temperatures will rise into the 80s and low 90s, he said.
“We’re going to have above-normal temperatures Wednesday through Friday,” he said, adding that the mercury will drop, but only slightly, once the weekend arrives.
“There is going to be an elevated fire danger through most of the week,” he said. “It’s definitely going to be a concern this week. If any wildfires develop, they could grow rapidly and become very dangerous. Despite the rain we had Friday night and Saturday, the vegetation remains very dry.”
