What the National Weather Service is calling "the first notable Santa Ana wind event of the season" will coincide with low humidity this week, creating a potential for wildfires in San Diego County, forecasters say.
Strong westerly winds in the 20-30 mph range picked up on Sunday, pushing warmer daytime temperatures into the region. By Monday, some gusts may even reach 45-65 mph, prompting a wind advisory until 8 p.m. Tuesday for the mountains and valleys. The advisory was previously in effect until 5 p.m. Wednesday.
"They're going to peak [Monday] morning, these Santa Ana winds, and then they'll slowly weaken from here for the next couple of days," NBC 7 weathercaster Ashley Matthews said. "Very dry conditions, low humidity out there, so we want to be extra careful as we do have that elevated fire danger."
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While no fire watches or red flag warnings were in effect for San Diego County, the NWS said elevated to critical fire weather conditions were expected Sunday through at least Wednesday and forecasters were closely monitoring for changes.
"The combination of winds and very low humidity, especially with multiple days of poor recovery, will lead to periods of critical fire weather Sunday and Monday, with near-critical conditions continuing Tuesday and Wednesday as weaker offshore winds prevail," the NWS said.
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While winds are picking up, humidity will drop below 15% for most parts of San Diego County and as low as 5% for the foothills and valleys, the NWS said, creating a perfect combination for potential wildfires to spark and grow quickly.
For parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, red flag warnings will be in effect from early Sunday morning through to Monday due to powerful wind gusts coupled with low humidity levels, according to the NWS of Los Angeles.
