Rising temperatures, buffeting winds to hamper Southern California this week
By
Ryan Adamson, AccuWeather meteorologist
Updated Feb 26, 2021 3:27 AM EDT
Crews have been steadily working to remove more than 30,000 cubic yards of debris from State Route 96 in California after a landslide on Feb. 18.
Strong winds that buffeted the northern Rockies on Tuesday will shift southward during midweek, making for a gusty couple of days in the Southwest.
While Santa Ana events are infrequent this time of year, it appears that such an event began to set up on Wednesday night and will continue into Thursday, as high pressure shifts from southern Oregon into northern Nevada.
The clockwise flow around the high will cause a northeasterly wind into Southern California, the classic Santa Ana setup. The highest winds are expected to occur in the mountains.
"Peak winds Thursday will be close to 80 mph, which can cause power outages and even some minor property damage," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Carl Babinski.
High wind watches had already been issued in portions of the area as of early Wednesday morning. Those watches became high wind warnings and wind advisories later on Wednesday, as the wind event began.
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With the northeasterly wind, travel may become difficult on interstates 5 and 10. The crosswinds will have the potential to blow over high-profile vehicles and tractor-trailers carrying empty loads.
Luckily, since the high pressure will continue to shift eastward and gradually weaken, the gusty winds are not expected to last for too long.
"The Santa Ana wind event is expected to only last about 12 hours from Wednesday evening into Thursday," said Babinski.
Oftentimes, a heightened fire risk comes with Santa Ana winds, the threat will not be as high this time around. Although rainfall has been low this month, some areas in Southern California received a soaking rainfall at the end of January.
That said, any fires that do manage to start will have the potential to spread quickly with the strong winds fanning the flames. In addition, since rainfall amounts have been just a small fraction of normal this month, conditions are beginning to become drier.
The wind is expected to continue into Thursday afternoon, but should subside Thursday night.
Friday is expected to be a mostly sunny day with lighter winds. However, AccuWeather forecasters are monitoring another potential Santa Ana event this coming weekend. While temperatures will be lower this weekend, the gusty winds may last longer, which will mean the potential for further drying out of vegetation and a higher fire danger.
Unfortunately, the rain that is needed is not on the horizon anytime soon. There will be a chance of rain by the middle of next week, but even that looks like a low probability at this time. Furthermore, the typical wet season begins to wind down in March for much of Southern California. As a result, time may be running out for the needed moisture.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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News / Weather Forecasts
Rising temperatures, buffeting winds to hamper Southern California this week
By Ryan Adamson, AccuWeather meteorologist
Updated Feb 26, 2021 3:27 AM EDT
Crews have been steadily working to remove more than 30,000 cubic yards of debris from State Route 96 in California after a landslide on Feb. 18.
Strong winds that buffeted the northern Rockies on Tuesday will shift southward during midweek, making for a gusty couple of days in the Southwest.
While Santa Ana events are infrequent this time of year, it appears that such an event began to set up on Wednesday night and will continue into Thursday, as high pressure shifts from southern Oregon into northern Nevada.
The clockwise flow around the high will cause a northeasterly wind into Southern California, the classic Santa Ana setup. The highest winds are expected to occur in the mountains.
"Peak winds Thursday will be close to 80 mph, which can cause power outages and even some minor property damage," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Carl Babinski.
High wind watches had already been issued in portions of the area as of early Wednesday morning. Those watches became high wind warnings and wind advisories later on Wednesday, as the wind event began.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
With the northeasterly wind, travel may become difficult on interstates 5 and 10. The crosswinds will have the potential to blow over high-profile vehicles and tractor-trailers carrying empty loads.
Luckily, since the high pressure will continue to shift eastward and gradually weaken, the gusty winds are not expected to last for too long.
"The Santa Ana wind event is expected to only last about 12 hours from Wednesday evening into Thursday," said Babinski.
Oftentimes, a heightened fire risk comes with Santa Ana winds, the threat will not be as high this time around. Although rainfall has been low this month, some areas in Southern California received a soaking rainfall at the end of January.
That said, any fires that do manage to start will have the potential to spread quickly with the strong winds fanning the flames. In addition, since rainfall amounts have been just a small fraction of normal this month, conditions are beginning to become drier.
The wind is expected to continue into Thursday afternoon, but should subside Thursday night.
Friday is expected to be a mostly sunny day with lighter winds. However, AccuWeather forecasters are monitoring another potential Santa Ana event this coming weekend. While temperatures will be lower this weekend, the gusty winds may last longer, which will mean the potential for further drying out of vegetation and a higher fire danger.
Unfortunately, the rain that is needed is not on the horizon anytime soon. There will be a chance of rain by the middle of next week, but even that looks like a low probability at this time. Furthermore, the typical wet season begins to wind down in March for much of Southern California. As a result, time may be running out for the needed moisture.
Related:
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo