Weather
'Damaging Wind Event' Expected To Arrive In Orange County
Widespread Santa Ana winds were expected to hit Orange County as early as Monday night, elevating fire danger through Wednesday.
ORANGE COUNTY, CA — Gusty and intense Santa Ana winds were expected to pick up as early as Monday night in the Southland, elevating fire danger across the region. In Orange County, there were warnings of possible power outages and calls for residents to prepare for evacuations should fires spark.
"A strong and widespread damaging wind event is expected to impact a large portion of Southwest California tonight through Wednesday morning, with the peak of the wind event Tuesday into Tuesday night," according to the National Weather Service.
And now that we've covered both wind and rain/snow, let's talk about the Red Flag Warning. It will be dry enough for critical fire conditions tonight through Tuesday for the Inland Empire and OC. Humidity increases Wednesday when those areas hopefully see a few drops of rain. pic.twitter.com/n0fV1L5sXt
— NWS San Diego (@NWSSanDiego) January 19, 2021
Officials forecast humidity levels above 15 percent in many areas but fire officials will still be on the lookout for potential blazes. A fire weather watch had been issued for the bulk of the Southland, but by midday, forecasters upgraded it to a red flag warning that'll be in effect from 10 p.m. Monday through at least 10 p.m. Tuesday.
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"There will be an increased risk of fire ignitions due to downed trees and power lines, along with a threat of rapid fire spread and extreme fire behavior," according to the NWS.
A red flag warning will be in effect for inland Orange County, the Santa Ana Mountains and the Cleveland National Forest. Forecasters said foothill areas of the Santa Ana Mountains could see isolated wind gusts of 70 mph.
Find out what's happening in Orange Countyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
A high wind warning will go into effect at 1 a.m. Tuesday in Orange County and will last until 10 p.m. Wednesday night. "Damaging winds" could blow down trees and power lines and any unsecured objects, weather service officials said.
The strongest gusts are expected to hit Tuesday morning and return again Tuesday night.
The City News Service contributed to this report.
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