Thousands Face Power Shutoffs As Santa Ana Winds Blast SoCal With Hot, Fire Weather – Patch

Thousands Face Power Shutoffs As Santa Ana Winds Blast SoCal With Hot, Fire Weather  Patch

A red flag warning takes effect Saturday in parts of Southern California, where wind gusts could reach 55 mph. Thousands of Southern California residents could lose power this weekend as Santa Ana winds bring gusty conditions, rising temperatures and an increased risk of wildfires across the region. As of Friday morning, Southern California Edison was considering precautionary power shutoffs affecting 2,660 customers, including 2,363 in Los Angeles County and 297 in Ventura County, according to the utility's outage tracker. Santa Ana winds will also affect Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties, with powerful wind gusts and dry, warm conditions. The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning from 2 a.m.

to 6 p.m. Saturday for the Santa Clarita Valley, western Santa Monica Mountains, Santa Susana Mountains and western San Gabriel Mountains, including the Highway 14 corridor. Northeast winds of 20 to 30 mph are expected, with gusts up to 45 mph and isolated gusts reaching 55 mph, according to the NWS. Humidity could fall as low as 8%, creating conditions favorable for rapidly spreading wildfires. "Fuels remain critically dry despite some minor greenup from recent rains," forecasters said in a fire weather advisory Friday. "There is a high risk for fast-moving fires where the plants are driest and the winds are strongest, which this targeted red flag