Santa Ana brings travel problems, wildfire risk to Southern California
Santa Ana winds will howl over portions of coastal Southern California through Tuesday night and among the risks are new, fast-spreading wildfires.
A wildfire broke out Monday night in Malibu, California, spreading rapidly on hillsides a few miles from Pepperdine University.
A Santa Ana kicked up late Monday and will continue into Tuesday night over portions of Southern California. A fire near Southern California’s downtown Malibu ignited late Monday and is spreading quickly, prompting mandatory evacuations and threatening structures, including the city’s iconic Malibu Pier. Nearby Pepperdine University canceled classes Tuesday and ordered students to shelter in place. The inferno is already closing in on 2,000 acres, CALFire said.
While this Santa Ana is not an extreme wind event, AccuWeather meteorologists believe there is still be some risks to lives and property. A building area of high pressure across the Great Basin will be the driving force behind the gusty winds. The rising pressure forces a rush of wind over the ridges, down the slopes and through the northeast-to-southwest-orientated valleys and canyons in Southern California.
Into Tuesday night, wind gusts from the northeast in many areas will range between 40 and 60 mph, which is strong enough to break tree limbs and knock down power lines. The AccuWeather Local StormMax™ wind gust for this event is 90 mph.
When power lines come down, sparks are sometimes produced that can trigger rapidly growing wildfires, like the Franklin Fire burning in Malibu. Those working with power equipment should use caution during the wind event.
Gusts will be strong enough to knock over outdoor grills and carry embers from campfires to dry brush areas where a fire can start and spread out of control quickly.
Where the winds blow across highways, they can also topple high-profile vehicles such as 18-wheelers, campers and box trucks. Gusty winds can also topple or blow away holiday decorations.
Because of the topography, much of downtown Los Angeles will be protected from the strong winds, but moderate gusts can reach all the way to the coast, such as in Oxnard and Newport Beach, California.
The dry northeasterly winds will help warm up much of Southern California. On Wednesday, Los Angeles temperatures are projected to rebound to the mid-70s F.
By the middle of the week, the area of high pressure will have moved well inland over the West, and the strong northeast winds produced by rising pressure in Southern California will ease. Breezes will pick up from the south and west by Thursday as a storm moves inland over the Pacific Northwest.
That storm is forecast to bring in cooler air with low-elevation rain and mountain snow to Northern California on Thursday.
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