Southern Calif. faces renewed fire threat as Santa Ana winds increase this week
LOS ANGELES – Another moderate to strong Santa Ana wind event is expected to develop across Southern California during the first half of the workweek, heightening wildfire dangers in a region still coping with the last significant firestorm from nearly two weeks ago.Many communities from Santa Barbara through Los Angeles County and into San Diego are under a Fire Weather Warning beginning at 10 a.m.Monday morning until at least 10 p.m.Tuesday night, according to the National Weather Service office in Oxnard, California.The NWS said sustained winds are expected to reach 30 mph, with gusts up to 60 mph downwind of the mountains.Additionally, relative humidity values are expected to plummet to less than 10%, which will allow vegetation to quickly burn if flames break out.“If fire ignition occurs, conditions are favorable for extreme fire behavior and rapid fire growth, which would threaten life and property,” meteorologists warned.The NWS warns residents in the Los Angeles/Ventura County Santa Ana wind corridor to stay alert, monitor the forecast and listen to orders from emergency officials in the coming days.A series of wet winters, followed by a sudden dry spell since last spring, has set the region up for a period of active fire weather that is usually seen during the summer and fall.According to the latest US Drought Monitor, only 36% of the Golden State is officially in a drought, but the dry conditions are affecting all of Southern California.Since the start of the year, Los Angeles has seen a rainfall deficit of nearly 2 inches of precipitation, with San Diego closer to a 1-inch deficit.The 2025 rainfall deficits do not tell the whole story, as both cities are closer to 6 inches and 4 inches below average, respectively, since July.Authorities warn that the lack of precipitation has caused the underbrush to significantly dry out, leading to increased fire risks.Residents living near wildland areas are urged to take precautions, such as forming a defensibl...