Life-threatening windstorm to strike Southern California, fueling wildfire risk

Forecasters are warning of a "life-threatening and destructive" windstorm set to impact Southern California for several days, beginning early Tuesday.

The offshore winds will be dry, unpredictable and strong — possibly up to 100 mph in some parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, the National Weather Service has warned, News.Az reports, citing US media.

Amid a parched landscape, the major wind event is again bringing particularly dangerous fire weather conditions — meaning that if a fire sparks, the blaze could quickly spread into an erratic, fast-moving wildfire.

This is not a typical Santa Ana wind event, though it is indeed bringing dry, northeast winds to the area, said Ryan Kittell, a National Weather Service meteorologist. The widspread wind event is expected to cause disruptions from Santa Barbara County south through San Diego County beginning Tuesday and continuing at least to Friday.

Wind speeds: The National Weather Service has issued wind warnings and alerts across much of Southern California. In L.A. and Ventura counties, sustained winds of 35 to 50 mph are expected, while gusts of 50 to 80 mph are possible. In some windy corridors, winds up to 100 mph are possible.

Critical fire weather: Red flag warnings have been issued across the region, citing "increased risk for large fires with very rapid fire spread, extreme fire behavior and long-range spotting." Some areas fall under the most elevated warning of a particularly dangerous situation.

Damage from winds: The strong winds are expected to down trees, cause power outages and localized damage to structures, and potentially knock over big rigs, trailers and motor homes, the National Weather Service warned.

"Mountain wave" winds: Forecasters are warning of a wind phenomenon that can cause short-lived but extremely destructive winds, particularly in the San Gabriel foothills and valleys. The mountain wave wind activity occurs when gusts rapidly drop down mountain slopes, then gain strength upon hitting the flat landscape, causing “brief bursts of very strong, dangerous winds,” said Rich Thompson, a National Weather Service meteorologist. This could be the strongest such wind event since the 2011 storm that caused serious damage in Pasadena, Altadena and other San Gabriel Valley neighborhoods, including knocking out power for days for more than 400,000 people.

Dangerous sea conditions: Rough waters and high winds at sea and over harbors are a concern off the L.A. and Orange county coasts, including on Catalina Island.

News.Az