The latest Santa Ana wind event moving through Southern California will peak Saturday, but higher-than-normal temperatures and elevated fire risk will remain through next week.
Decreased humidity and wind gusts, in the 30-to-50 mph range, across Los Angeles and Ventura counties spell “elevated to critical fire weather conditions,” said Rich Thompson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.
The Western San Gabriels, the Santa Susanas, the Santa Monicas and the Santa Clarita Valley will remain under red flag warnings from 2 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday.
Those regions, and much of Ventura County, will remain under a wind advisory until 2 p.m. Conditions are expected to “noticeably” improve by Saturday evening through early next week, but the affected regions will remain under an elevated fire risk amid the offshore flow of the Santa Ana winds, Thompson said.
Residents can expect temperatures to peak this weekend — between the mid-80s and around 90 degrees — and cool slightly into the 80s through the mid-next week, according to the National Weather Service’s Saturday forecast discussion. Weak offshore winds will continue to keep conditions warm and dry, Thompson said.
Beaches along the Southern California coast will remain under a hazard statement until Tuesday morning, with Thompson noting the possibility of elevated surf up to four to six feet and risk of “widespread, strong, dangerous” rip currents. There is a potential for coastal flooding issues as early as next week, Thompson said.
After the slight drop in temperatures, next week will also see a “cool, unsettled weather pattern with some chance of rain” heading into the weekend through the following week.
“Definitely people should just be alert that for next weekend into the following week there’s going to be potential for some rain across Southern California,” but details are still uncertain, Thompson said.
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