LOS ANGELES—Another round of gusty Santa Ana winds was causing concerns about heightened wildfire conditions Nov. 19 in Southern California.
The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning that will be in effect until 10 a.m. Nov. 20 in the Los Angeles County mountains and the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys.
The weather service called it a “moderate to locally strong” Santa Ana wind event, and predicted gusty northeast winds combined with humidities as low as 8 percent to 15 percent.
The strongest winds were expected Saturday morning, and the weather service said winds would gradually die down Saturday evening, but gusts up to 50 mph were still expected in the mountains, and 45 mph in the valleys.
“A Fire Weather Watch means that critical fire weather conditions are likely to occur in the coming days,” according to the agency. “Residents near wildland interfaces should prepare now on what to do if a wildfire breaks out.”
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health issued a cold weather alert for Lancaster, the Santa Clarita Valley and Mount Wilson, where wind-chill temperatures were expected to fall below 32 degrees Fahrenheit overnight.
“Children, the elderly, and people with disabilities or special medical needs are especially vulnerable during cold weather. Extra precaution should be taken to ensure they don’t get too cold when they are outside,” said Dr. Muntu Davis, Los Angeles County health officer.
He also urged the public to watch out for other winter hazards.
“There are places where people can go to stay warm, such as shelters or other public facilities. We also want to remind people not to use stoves, barbeques, or ovens to heat their homes due to the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning,” he said.
