A red flag warning was in place Wednesday for the Inland Empire and Valley areas of Southern California as unusually strong, dry Santa Ana winds created optimal weather conditions for wildfires to develop and spread.
The combination of strong winds, low humidity and dry air is “prime fire weather” when mixed with dry vegetation, NWS meteorologist Sebastian Westerink said.
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Due to the elevated fire risk, Southern California Edison temporarily shut-off power in high-risk service areas across parts of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties — impacting approximately 38,016 customers by early afternoon Wednesday. The preemptive public safety power shutoff aims to reduce the risk of power lines igniting fires in communities with low rain levels and dry landscapes, Southern California Edison spokesperson Gabriele Ornelas said.
Conditions will continue to be monitored for improvement, with power expected to be restored by Thursday.
While red flag warnings were issued for most of Los Angeles County, the San Gabriel Mountains and San Fernando Valley in particular were at risk due to the widespread and long-lasting Santa Ana winds this week.The conditions in these areas were described as highly volatile, with 30 to 40 mph winds and gusts up to 70 mph expected to continue into Wednesday night.
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Downtown Los Angeles, Long Beach and the San Gabriel Valley will not be as impacted, with winds between 15 to 30 mph. By Thursday, expect conditions to remain pretty breezy and very dry with a little less wind, NWS meteorologist Mike Wofford said.
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