Red flag warning issued for mountains as dry, gusty winds move into Southern California
Southern California this weekend is getting a preview of this season’s Santa Ana winds, the National Weather Service said.
Starting Friday and ending Saturday night, vegetation in Los Angeles-area mountains will dry out as warm, dry air blows across the landscape at 15 to 20 mph with occasional 40 mph gusts, said Stuart Seto of the National Weather Service.
The winds won’t be strong enough to be official Santa Ana winds, but their effect is the same — they increase the risk of a brush fire exploding out of control.
A red flag warning was issued for the Los Angeles and Ventura county mountains through 8 p.m. Friday, the weather service said.
Temperatures Friday and Saturday downtown will hover in the mid-80s and in the 90s inland, Seto said. The region will see about a 10-degree dropoff in temperatures starting Sunday.
From Sunday through the middle of next week, temperatures will be in the 70s at the beach and only a few degrees warmer downtown, Seto said. The dry winds will remain, he said.
An advisory issued from Friday to Sunday night is warning beachgoers of 3- to 6-foot surf with 7-foot waves and dangerous rip currents. Visitors should avoid standing on jetties or other places where they can be swept away by a sneaker wave, Seto said.
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