It’s the last thing that wildfire-ravaged southern California needs, but a red flag warning will span several days, through Wednesday, Jan. 15 at 6 p.m., with strong winds and continuing critical fire weather in the forecast, the National Weather Service announced on Saturday.
The warning indicates that existing fires could spread and new ones could start, meteorologists said. It begins at 6 p.m. Saturday, as fire crews continue to battle the devastating Palisades and Eaton fires, which are still threatening lives and property in Los Angeles County.
The latest red flag warning also includes the Inland Empire and Orange County, and residents throughout Southern California should be prepared to pre-emptive power outages to lessen the likelihood of wildfires being sparked by Southern California Edison or other equipment, officials said.
Winds are forecast to be around 15 to 30 mph, with gusts between 30 to 50 mph, or even higher.
“It does include areas of the Palisades fire and portions of the northern part of the Eaton fire, as well, so these areas are still going to be highly, highly concerning fire weather-wise,“ NWS meteorologist Rose Schoenfeld said of the forecast on Saturday afternoon.
“The periods of greatest concern are going to be tonight into Sunday morning, and then again late Monday into Tuesday,” she said.
The Palisades fire flared up Friday night and Saturday, even before the winds began to pick up speed. The winds are now raising already heightened concerns as flames continue to edge toward the San Fernando Valley and Brentwood, where at least one home was consumed by the blaze as of Saturday afternoon.