Fire threats around San Diego County will be increased Friday through Saturday as Santa Ana winds push into the region, forecasters say.
High temperatures Thursday were about five degrees warmer than Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. Warm weather will continue Friday, where it will be warmer along the coast and cooler inland. On Saturday, it’ll be cooler at the coast and warmer inland.
Santa Ana winds developed Thursday afternoon and are expected to remain in the region through Saturday, NBC 7 Meteorologist Sheena Parveen said.
Get top local stories in San Diego delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC San Diego's News Headlines newsletter.
“As we head through the day, the winds are going to be increasing, sustained at 25 to 35 miles per hour," Parveen said in her forecast on Friday. "We could see some isolated gusts near 60, mainly at the mountains and the foothills.”
She said that an area of high pressure to the county's northeast is fueling the Santa Ana wind flow. She added that it's increasing danger locally.
“It’s increasing the wildfire threat, too, so the fire threat is going to be elevated today," Parveen said.
Local
A High Wind Warning is in effect in San Diego’s mountains and valleys through 4 a.m. Saturday due to winds in the 25 to 35 mph range. Some gusts could even reach up to 60 mph. “That would be most likely for the foothills and mountains,” Parveen said.
Get updates on what's happening in San Diego to your inbox. Sign up for our News Headlines newsletter.
During this time, winds have the potential to blow down trees or knock down power lines, which could cause power outages and make driving difficult.
Conditions are expected to die down on Saturday.
“We head into Saturday and the winds will really start to diminish so we’re going to see much better conditions as we head across the weekend," Parveen said.
By the weekend, there could even be some showers in the mountains.
