Red Flag Warning will last for days
Most of Southern California will face very high fire danger. Winds could be damaging, with potential to knock down trees and power lines.
The strongest winds and broadest coverage of critical conditions are expected between Thursday morning and early afternoon. Critical conditions could last into Friday morning, Dec. 4, in some locations. Prolonged elevated conditions appear probable into early next week.
Expect northeast to east winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 55 mph, with isolated gusts to 65 mph in some inland and mountain areas. The strongest winds will be through Thursday afternoon. The lowest daytime humidity will be 8 to 12 percent with poor overnight recovery.
Any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly. A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now or will shortly.
One key difference between the most recent Santa Anas and this week’s weather is that San Diego County should see considerably stronger winds in comparison, according to the National Weather Service San Diego Twitter account. Gusty offshore winds will affect a broader swath of the valleys, making it closer to the coast.
Due to this Red Flag Warning and the potentially strong and multi-day Santa Ana winds forecasted for Southern California, San Diego Gas & Electric has notified about 88,700 customers that they could be at risk of prolonged Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS). Public Safety Power Shutoffs could happen as early as Wednesday night/Thursday morning and potentially last through Sunday/Monday. Affected areas could include fire- and wind-prone backcountry communities in the High Fire Threat District (HFTD) and some inland and coastal communities outside of the HFTD. Scripps Ranch was not listed as a community for possible Public Safety Power Shutoffs as of Wednesday morning, Dec. 2. Visit sdge.com/ready to see a map and a list of communities that could be affected.
