Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty
Another Santa Ana wind storm is expected to impact Southern California and pose a new, dangerous risk asthe L.A. firescontinue to burn.
Some portions of Southern California are under an “extremely critical risk of fire weather” beginning Monday, Jan. 20, according to the National Weather Service’sWeather Prediction Center.
Forecasters say mild temperatures, low humidity and “the return of very strong winds” to these areas “will lead to dangerous fire weather conditions” into Tuesday, Jan. 21.
About 12.8 million people in Southern California are under red flag warnings, according to theSan Francisco Chronicle.
Peak wind gusts across the coastline and valleys may reach up to 70 mph, while those in the mountains and foothills could see gusts up to 100 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
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Ariel Cohen, a meteorologist with the NWS office in Oxnard, said this will be “a powerful damaging wind event” and warned those in the path of danger to be prepared for what he described as an “extreme episode of fire weather.”
“This is not the time to be taking this weather lightly at all,” Cohen told theChronicle. “We’re on the cusp of another extreme event.”
The Palisades fire burns near homes in Pacific Palisades on Tuesday, January 7, 2024.Hans Gutknecht/MediaNews Group/ Los Angeles Daily News via Getty
Hans Gutknecht/MediaNews Group/ Los Angeles Daily News via Getty
The Eaton and Palisades Fires, which sparked during the last major wind event earlier this month, are still burning.
The Palisades Fire has burned 23,713 acres of land and is currently 59% contained, according to data fromCal Fire. The Eaton Fire has burned 14,021 acres of land and is currently 87% contained.
The death toll from the L.A. fires is at least 27, according to theLos Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office.
source: people.com
