Extreme weather cocktail in Southern California prompts rare 'particularly dangerous' red flag warnings
By
Jake Sojda, AccuWeather meteorologist
Published Oct 25, 2020 1:13 PM EDT
Mandatory evacuations prompted by the East Troublesome Fire clogged roads with traffic in Estes Park, Colorado, on Oct. 22.
An unusual combination of weather conditions are culminating in an extreme fire danger across Southern California, one that prompted the National Weather Service (NWS) to issue urgent red flag warnings, which called the setup “a particularly dangerous situation” in the Los Angeles mountains -- a rare warning issued by the NWS.
The NWS warned that the tinder dry conditions with relative humidity expected to drop off into the single digits and potentially damaging winds that will howl at 60 to 75 mph will stir up "the most dangerous fire weather conditions since October 2019" in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
The culprit behind the strong winds blasting portions of California and the Southwest will be a massive storm system that unleashed wintry weather across the Rockies and Plains, bringing brutally cold air, as well as pockets of snow and ice.
It's already been a long wildfire season as fires have broken records for the largest fires ever recorded in both California and Colorado state history, and relentless fires across the West have led to persistent, poor air quality and choking smoky conditions at times.
More recently, two wildfires in northern Colorado have added to the destruction as they exploded in size this past week. Heavy snow now moving through northern Colorado will help to quell these large fires, but may also make it more difficult for firefighters to navigate the terrain to continue battling the fires.
As the cold and snow pushes south, so will the highest fire threat. Parts of northern Nevada, Utah and Colorado that experienced fire weather Saturday got a reprieve on Sunday, while much of the southern Rockies and Desert Southwest experienced another day of high fire risk.
Monday, the most extreme fire risk will shift its attention back to California. Offshore winds will roar both Monday and Tuesday, locally known as Santa Ana or Diablo winds.
The gusty winds ignited a fast-moving fire in Santiago Canyon near Irvine, California, on Monday morning. Two Orange County firefighters, ages 26 and 31, were critically injured trying to battle the blaze. The wildfire has burned more than 4,000 acres, forcing more than 90,000 people to evacuate amid powerful Santa Ana winds.
Widespread wind gusts of 40-60 mph are expected in the mountains and passes of both Northern and Southern California, as well as the upper and lower deserts in Southern California. Some of the strongest gusts of 60-80 mph will be in the western foothills of the northern Sierra, as well as around the "North Bay Hills" north of San Francisco and in the mountains around Los Angeles as well.
Residents who live throughout theses areas should be prepared to make a hasty escape and heed all orders from officials.
Areas where the strongest winds occur in California will experience planned power outages to mitigate the risk of wind-damaged power lines causing sparks among the tinder-dry vegetation.
According to Pacific Electric and Gas, 466,000 customers were without power on Sunday across 38 counties in Northern California. As of Monday morning more than 350,000 customers were still without power. The company will provide community resource centers to assist those who's power has been cut.
For California, the dangerous winds are expected to subside through the later in the day Tuesday as the storm begins to shift eastward through the Plains. While rain will make it as far south and west as eastern Arizona through Monday, unfortunately the storm system will not bring any rain as far west as parched California.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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News / Severe Weather
Extreme weather cocktail in Southern California prompts rare 'particularly dangerous' red flag warnings
By Jake Sojda, AccuWeather meteorologist
Published Oct 25, 2020 1:13 PM EDT
Mandatory evacuations prompted by the East Troublesome Fire clogged roads with traffic in Estes Park, Colorado, on Oct. 22.
An unusual combination of weather conditions are culminating in an extreme fire danger across Southern California, one that prompted the National Weather Service (NWS) to issue urgent red flag warnings, which called the setup “a particularly dangerous situation” in the Los Angeles mountains -- a rare warning issued by the NWS.
The NWS warned that the tinder dry conditions with relative humidity expected to drop off into the single digits and potentially damaging winds that will howl at 60 to 75 mph will stir up "the most dangerous fire weather conditions since October 2019" in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
The culprit behind the strong winds blasting portions of California and the Southwest will be a massive storm system that unleashed wintry weather across the Rockies and Plains, bringing brutally cold air, as well as pockets of snow and ice.
It's already been a long wildfire season as fires have broken records for the largest fires ever recorded in both California and Colorado state history, and relentless fires across the West have led to persistent, poor air quality and choking smoky conditions at times.
More recently, two wildfires in northern Colorado have added to the destruction as they exploded in size this past week. Heavy snow now moving through northern Colorado will help to quell these large fires, but may also make it more difficult for firefighters to navigate the terrain to continue battling the fires.
As the cold and snow pushes south, so will the highest fire threat. Parts of northern Nevada, Utah and Colorado that experienced fire weather Saturday got a reprieve on Sunday, while much of the southern Rockies and Desert Southwest experienced another day of high fire risk.
Monday, the most extreme fire risk will shift its attention back to California. Offshore winds will roar both Monday and Tuesday, locally known as Santa Ana or Diablo winds.
The gusty winds ignited a fast-moving fire in Santiago Canyon near Irvine, California, on Monday morning. Two Orange County firefighters, ages 26 and 31, were critically injured trying to battle the blaze. The wildfire has burned more than 4,000 acres, forcing more than 90,000 people to evacuate amid powerful Santa Ana winds.
Widespread wind gusts of 40-60 mph are expected in the mountains and passes of both Northern and Southern California, as well as the upper and lower deserts in Southern California. Some of the strongest gusts of 60-80 mph will be in the western foothills of the northern Sierra, as well as around the "North Bay Hills" north of San Francisco and in the mountains around Los Angeles as well.
Residents who live throughout theses areas should be prepared to make a hasty escape and heed all orders from officials.
Areas where the strongest winds occur in California will experience planned power outages to mitigate the risk of wind-damaged power lines causing sparks among the tinder-dry vegetation.
According to Pacific Electric and Gas, 466,000 customers were without power on Sunday across 38 counties in Northern California. As of Monday morning more than 350,000 customers were still without power. The company will provide community resource centers to assist those who's power has been cut.
Related:
For California, the dangerous winds are expected to subside through the later in the day Tuesday as the storm begins to shift eastward through the Plains. While rain will make it as far south and west as eastern Arizona through Monday, unfortunately the storm system will not bring any rain as far west as parched California.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo