Chill Winds Wane, but Firefighters Still Wary : Weather: Temperatures will be low but fire danger high after three days of strong gusts that have stolen more moisture from hillsides of drought-dried brush.

The strong, cold winds that have swept through Orange County since Thanksgiving began to die down Sunday, with temperatures lower but with wary firefighters still on alert because of an increased fire risk.

Capt. Dan Young of the Orange County Fire Department said the dry weather conditions prompted firefighters to maintain a “red-flag watch,” a heightened state of readiness.

On Sunday, three four-wheel-drive brush engines cruised the county while three fire investigators patrolled brush areas to “catch (any fire) before it starts or at least as early as possible,” Young said. “Once (a fire is) past five or 10 acres it becomes very hard (to surround) in these winds,” Young said.

Young said the firefighters’ concern is prompted by the five or six years of dry weather that have left the county with acres of dead, dry brush that could feed a rapidly moving fire. “We need several storms, I mean months of storms, for new growth so that we can reduce the amount of dead fuel,” Young said.

Gusting up to 30 m.p.h. in Santa Ana, Sunday’s northeasterly winds resulted from a strong high pressure system in northern Nevada and Utah coupled with a strong system in northern New Mexico, said Scott Entrekin, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Los Angeles. The result was a strong pressure system that creates a “funneling effect,” driving winds into Southern California, Entrekin said.

As the high-pressure system over Nevada weakens, winds are expected to die down to 10 to 15 m.p.h. today and Tuesday, meteorologists said.

The county’s high temperature Sunday was a 68 in San Juan Capistrano, while the morning low was 42 in Santa Ana, according to WeatherData.

Temperatures will be cool today and Tuesday, with lows dipping into the low- to mid-30s in some parts of the county, said meteorologist Steve Burback of WeatherData, which provides forecasts for The Times. Highs will reach the upper 60s to mid-70s, Burback said.

Sunday’s strong winds kept some police officers busy turning off alarms in homes and businesses. Santa Ana Police Sgt. Jack Rife said the wind caused doors and windows in Santa Ana businesses to rattle or shake, “setting off all the alarms in town.” Huntington Beach Police Sgt. Val Birkett said there is usually a 50% to 60% increase in the number of false alarms when gusty winds rattle doors and windows in the seaside city.

Kevin Kelley, a spokesman for Southern California Edison, said, “We’ve been very lucky in this storm.” Power lines ripped down by the winds are always a concern, he said, but the utility company had no problems Sunday. “It’s been pretty good considering the winds.”