Southern California braces for extreme fire weather as 100-mph winds return: Take action now
LOS ANGELES – Southern California braces for a ferocious return of fire danger as the National Weather Service issues its most urgent warning for extreme fire weather.Destructive Santa Ana winds, forecast to gust up to 100 mph, are poised to grip the region on Monday, igniting fears of widespread and uncontrollable wildfires, the FOX Forecast Center noted.This comes as more than 14,000 structures have been destroyed since Jan.7 in the Palisades and Eaton fires, leading to the event being labeled as one of the costliest disasters in U.S.
history.The Palisades Fire has burned nearly 24,000 acres and is 56% contained.
The Eaton Fire has burned over 14,000 acres and is 81% contained.“With Santa Ana winds back in the forecast, that is a concern,” FOX Weather Meteorologist Craig Herrera said.“Containment, a reminder, means they’ve surrounded the fire.
But with winds returning, some of those embers can jump some of those fire lines, and they’ve got to be careful with this.”Between noon on Monday and Tuesday at 10 a.m., the National Weather Service issued a “Particularly Dangerous Situation” Fire Weather Warning for a large portion of Los Angeles and Ventura counties.“Take action now to prepare your home and loved ones for another round of EXTREME WIND and FIRE WEATHER,” the agency warned on X.After a much quieter weekend, Southern California is experiencing a major shift in the weather pattern, the FOX Forecast Center said.The base of a very long, sharp dip in the jet stream is rounding the state, ushering in cold air and strong upper-level winds.
The offshore flow will jump strongly as the base of that jet stream dip rounds Southern California and winds move in from the northeast.Northeasterly winds will start to ramp up in the morning hours on Monday and will accelerate, moving out of the mountains toward the coast.Wind gusts will start to increase up to 65 mph at the valley floor and up to 100 mph at the highest elevations.These winds will be ...