Dry Weather, Winds Spawn SoCal Fire Danger
LOS ANGELES (AP/CBSLA.com) — Red flag warnings are up around Southern California as dry, windy weather creates fire danger.
The National Weather Service says the warnings will run through Friday afternoon in valleys, mountains and forests from Los Angeles to San Diego counties.
"We do have Red Flag Warnings out for the Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange County areas. For LA and Ventura not so much 'cause we have a little bit of a different criteria," Curt Kaplan, senior meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard, told KNX1070 NEWSRADIO's Pete Demetriou.
Dry Weather, Winds Spawn SoCal Fire Danger
"Typically around this time of year every year we start ramping up for brush season," Tony Imbrenda of the Los Angeles County Fire Dept. said. "Temps going up, relative humidity going down, more ripe for ignition and rapid fire growth if something starts."
Winds are expected to reach 20 to 35 mph with gusts up to 55 mph in mountain areas, forecasters said. Winds in the valleys will range from 15 to 30 mph with gusts of 45 mph.
Humidity will hit just 5 percent to 15 percent. Temperatures will hit the 80s in some areas.
LA County Fire Dept. says they have a series of drills planned in the few weeks, but firefighters add Southland residents can also help reduce their changes of being a fire victim by clearing at least 100 feet of space around their property.
A cooler marine layer will return Friday evening, easing the fire conditions.
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