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Heat and strong winds to bring elevated fire danger this weekend

William Wood of Torrance soaks up the sun in Manhattan Beach last month. Forecasts call for possibly record-breaking heat over the weekend, as well as dry air and gusty wind that could bring elevated fire danger.
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
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Santa Ana winds, dry air and potentially record-breaking heat will increase the chance of wildfires in Southern California this weekend, according to the National Weather Service.

The risk of wind-driven fires — especially in the mountain areas of Los Angeles and Ventura counties — will be greatest Saturday evening through Monday afternoon, forecasters said. A fire weather watch is in effect.

An upper-level ridge of high pressure building over the West Coast will bring powerful northeast winds, said Joe Sirard, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

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Forecasters are expecting 25-to-35 mph winds, with gusts of 45 to 55 mph, he said. There is a potential for isolated gusts up to 60 mph.

Relative humidity levels are expected to drop to the 15%-to-25% range, Sirard said.

Temperatures across the Southland are expected to reach the upper 70s to the mid-80s on Sunday. By Monday, they could approach or even break record highs.

“It will be rather warm for this time of year,” Sirard said.

On Monday, a high temperature of 87 degrees is forecast for Long Beach. The record for that day is 83 degrees, which was set in 1992, Sirard said.

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Downtown Los Angeles could see a high of 86 degrees Monday, approaching the record high of 88 in 1971, Sirard said.

The high for Burbank is forecast at 85 degrees, one degree shy of the 86-degree record in 1971. Woodland Hills could hit 85 degrees; Westwood, 84 degrees; and Lancaster, 74 degrees.

Monday should be the warmest day, Sirard said. There will be a slight cooldown next week, but temperatures will still be above normal.

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Similar conditions will exist in Orange and San Diego counties, with temperatures 15 degrees or more above average, according to the National Weather Service in San Diego.

hailey.branson@latimes.com

Twitter: @haileybranson

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