California braces for ‘life-threatening’ windstorm, critical fire risk

A dangerous windstorm beginning Tuesday could bring widespread destruction and extreme fire danger to Southern California, with emergency services prepared to provide a massive response.

The National Weather Service has issued a critical fire hazard warning for parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, with the storm beginning Tuesday afternoon and peaking early Wednesday. Winds will exceed 60 mph and gusts could reach 80 to 100 mph in the mountains and foothills.

Warm Santa Ana winds and very low humidity have created the perfect conditions for the fire to spread, and officials are taking no chances.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday he would preemptively mobilize state resources to fight the storm, including assigning 65 fire trucks, seven water trucks, seven helicopters and 109 workers specialized.

“We are no strangers to the threat of wildfires in winter, so I ask all Californians to pay attention to local authorities and be prepared to evacuate if asked to leave,” Newsom said.

The National Weather Service office in Los Angeles issued a stern warning: “Strong winds are coming. This is a particularly dangerous situation — in other words, it’s about as bad as it can get in terms of fire weather,” the service said.

The NWS urged people to not only stay indoors, but also stay away from windows during the storm.

The city of Los Angeles warned residents of a “destructive, widespread and potentially deadly wind storm” that could bring down trees and knock out power connections. Fire-prone areas should be prepared for evacuation, including the San Fernando Valley and Hollywood Hills.

“We really haven’t seen a season as dry as this one follow a season as wet as the last one,” Daniel Swain, a climatologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, said during a livestream Monday .

“All this extremely heavy growth of grass and vegetation followed immediately by a wind of this magnitude while it’s still incredibly dry,” he said.

Energy company San Diego Gas & Energy said it may cut power to nearly 65,000 customers as a precaution.

Dry Santa Ana winds brought warmer-than-usual temperatures and repeated red flag fire warnings.