Southern California Faces Extreme Fire Risk From Dry Winds
Monday, November 30, -1Dry and warm gusts blowing in from the desert have elevated the wildfire risk in Southern California to critical, several weeks after deadly flames tore through wine country to the north.
The strongest Santa Ana winds of the season threaten more than 14,000 square miles (36,260 square kilometers) covering a population in excess of 19.9 million, according to the U.S. Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma. That includes Los Angeles, San Diego and San Bernardino. They’re expected to last through Thursday.
Parts of Ventura, Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside counties face the greatest risk, the Storm Prediction Center said. The danger won’t be as severe in downtown Los Angeles.
A total of 8,691 fires consumed more than 1 million acres in California this year through Nov. 26, according to the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
A difference in barometric pressure from north to south is the root cause of the latest weather event, Bann said. “That funnels the winds through the gaps in the mountains and foothills of Southern California.”
Because the winds cross land on their way south, they tend to be very dry. The worst will be seen through Tuesday, though California can’t count on any relief until the weekend at the earliest.
“If we look into Wednesday and Thursday, there might be improvement but the improvement isn’t really great,” Bann said.
Source: Bloomberg