By Fiona Ng/LAist
Originally published Jan. 12, 2025
Strong Santa Ana winds and extreme weather conditions are returning this week to a Los Angeles region already reeling from the deadly Palisades and Eaton fires.
The National Weather Service warns that the region is in for “continued and persistent strong and gusty Santa Ana winds” in the coming days — with the fiercest winds between 45 mph to 70 mph from 4 a.m. on Tuesday to noon Wednesday.
What to expect
That 32-hour period makes for a “particularly dangerous situation” (PDS) when it comes to fire weather conditions in Ventura and Los Angeles counties, the NWS added.
Here are the L.A. and Ventura county areas that will be most affected:
Bad, but not as bad as last week
Rose Schoenfeld, a meteorologist with the Weather Service, said the “PDS” tag was also used for last week’s historical winds. But the winds anticipated for the region between Tuesday and Wednesday, while strong, won’t be like those that initially ravaged the area.
“I do want to emphasize, though, that while this tagline is one of the loudest ways that we can shout, this is not going to be as strong as last week’s historical windstorm,” Schoenfeld said.
A less intense red flag warning is expected to expire at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
After that, a reprieve of lighter winds and increasing humidity is expected Thursday into the weekend.
Red flag warnings
Red flag warnings are in effect now until 6 p.m. Wednesday.
The strongest winds will be from Tuesday at 4 a.m. through noon Wednesday for:
- Western Santa Monica Mountains
- Northern San Fernando Valley (mainly highways and the 118/210 Freeway corridors from Porter Ranch to San Fernando)
- Ventura County coastal plains (mainly hills above Camarillo/Oxnard westward to Ventura)
Officials say to expect damaging winds and “extremely critical fire weather conditions.”
For an overview of the Palisades and Eaton fires, go here. For more on what a red flag warning means, go here.
Be ready to leave
Authorities have underscored the need for people to heed evacuation orders and warnings. Lives are at risk as fire can quickly overtake whole neighborhoods, as we’ve see in the Palisades and Eaton Fires. At least 24 people have died.
- Before: Your very short guide to getting packed up right now to evacuate
- During: A very short guide for how to leave your house if you need to evacuate
- After: I had to evacuate my home, what do I do next?
This report is reprinted with permission from Southern California Public Radio. © 2024 Southern California Public Radio. All rights reserved.
