SoCal to see 'particularly dangerous situation' this week amid more Santa Ana winds

Tuesday, January 14, 2025 7:58AM

Here's what to expect as SoCal braces for rare fire warning

The National Weather Service has issued a "particularly dangerous situation" red flag warning for parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties this week.

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Southern California remains in critical fire danger in the coming days, and the National Weather Service has issued a "particularly dangerous situation" red flag warning - the highest-level alert the agency is capable of issuing - for parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

Although the upcoming Santa Ana winds will be weaker than those that ignited several fires last week, the NWS says they will still be "strong enough to potentially cause explosive fire growth."

The "particularly dangerous situation" warning was issued for the period between 4 a.m. Tuesday through noon Wednesday when the NWS says winds are expected to be in the 45-70 mph range, along with relative humidity as low as 8%.

According to the NWS, areas covered by the "particularly dangerous situation" warning include: western San Gabriel Mountains/I-5 Corridor, Santa Susana Mountains, southern Ventura County Mountains, Ventura Valleys (mainly near Simi Valley, Moorpark, Santa Paula, South Mountain), western San Fernando Valley (mainly highways 118/210 corridors from Porter Ranch to San Fernando), Calabasas, Agoura Hills, western Santa Monica Mountains and the Ventura County coastal plain.

This is the fourth time in three months the weather service in Los Angeles has issued the high-level alert, with the last one occurring last week when winds went up to 100 mph and the fires in Los Angeles County began. It's rare to see this type of alert.

A broader red flag warning for the region is expected to last through 6 p.m. Wednesday. At the moment, no rain is in the forecast this week.

Tuesday weather

In Los Angeles and Orange counties Tuesday, expect an afternoon high of 68 degrees, dropping to 39 overnight. Gusts will be around 45 mph.

The valleys and Inland Empire Tuesday will reach a high of 67 and a low of 38. Gusts up to 35 mph are expected.

Beaches Tuesday will be around 66 and surf will be between 2-3 feet. Northeast winds will reach 40 mph.

Mountain areas Tuesday will reach a high of 42 degrees and a chilly 14 is expected overnight. A red-flag warning is in effect amid windy conditions.

The deserts Tuesday will reach 57 degrees, dropping to 18 overnight.

Get the latest updates on the weather with the Free ABC7 Los Angeles app

Download the ABC7 app for weather alerts: Click here for iOS devices | click here for Android devices. If you have the app, turn on push notifications and personalize the app. Click on My News from the bottom menu, then star the topics you'd like to follow and tap Done.

Live radar: abc7.la/LiveMEGADOPPLER

Watches/Warnings: abc7.la/WxWarnings
Download the free Accuweather app for iPhone and Android devices.
Share your weather pictures and video with #ABC7Eyewitness