Powerful Santa Ana winds expected to increase fire risk in Southern California

Strong, destructive Santa Ana winds are expected to bring an extreme risk of wildfires to Southern California Monday through Tuesday, as the landscape remains dangerously rain-deprived and firefighters continue to work to fully contain the blazes forest which left at least 27 dead and destroyed thousands of homes. this month.

While an offshore wind pattern is expected over Los Angeles and Ventura counties Monday through Friday, winds are expected to pose the greatest danger Monday evening through Tuesday morning.

It’s possible the winds will be similar in strength to the violent gusts that topped 90 miles per hour and fueled the devastating wildfires in Altadena and Pacific Palisades.

The big difference with these winds, however, is that they are expected to affect different locations, as they will blow with a more northeast-east tilt than the Jan. 7 event, which had a north-northeast tilt, said Rose Schoenfeld, meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Oxnard, California.

Areas likely to experience the strongest gusts include the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys, the mountains and foothills of Los Angeles County and much of Ventura County.

Amid the windy conditions, downed trees, power outages and dangerous ocean conditions are also likely.