By New York Post (U.S.) | Created at 2025-01-12 19:05:40 | Updated at 2025-01-12 23:40:22
4 hours ago
Wildfire conditions across Southern California are going to get worse this coming week — as near-hurricane-force Santa Ana winds pick up again just as firefighters started to make progress against the biggest blazes.
The hot, dry winds have both fanned the flames and helped spread the devastation — scattering burning embers for miles.
Strong enough winds can also ground firefighting aircraft — one of the major problems last Tuesday night when the Palisades Fire stared.
“The winds will be picking up later [Sunday] afternoon. They will be experiencing wind gusts up to 50-70 mph, with the worst day likely being Tuesday,” Fox Forecast Center Meteorologist Cody Braud told The Post.
Firefighters made some progress battling ongoing flames from Friday going into Saturday, the respite from fast-paced winds likely won’t last, forecasters warned.
The Palisades fire grew to more than 23,000 acres — half the size of Brooklyn, New York — and was only 11% contained on Sunday.
Those Santa Ana winds likely won’t hit 100 mph again — as they did in the deadly first night of the fire, according to Braud.
However, the strongest gusts will be at hard to reach higher elevations in the hills of Los Angeles County
“It’ll be fairly windy through Wednesday, but it won’t be as windy as the conditions that helped initially spark all the fires that had wind gusts of 80 to 100 mph. We’re not talking anything close to that,” Braud said.
Although the winds will likely calm after Wednesday, the other conditions plaguing Southern California will still make for perfect conditions for fires to continue spreading.
“Because there’s still no rain in the forecast and it’s extremely dry, winds of just 30 to 50 mph can pose the risk of creating new fires, as well as fueling the ongoing fires,” Braud warned.
Low humidity and the absence of rain — for the next seven to 10 days at least — will help critical fire conditions persist throughout the region.
“There’s no moisture in the air, so that’s obviously no good, and the winds are what makes it really difficult,” Braud said. “Those winds are the culprits that blow embers around, which can help spark a fire.”
Fires in Los Angeles County persisted Sunday, with at least 39,000 acres of land burned as the death toll has risen to at least 16 people, with nearly 200,000 displaced.
Tens of thousands of Los Angeles residents remain under evacuation orders as the fires have burned through over 12,000 structures in the past five days.
