Santa Ana winds are spreading the Franklin fire in Malibu, where 2,200 acres were scorched by Tuesday morning, Dec. 10.
“We have a northeast wind coming off the Santa Monica Mountains with gusts up to 40 miles per hour,” NWS meteorologist James Brotherton said. “That’s coming right off the mountains down into Malibu.”
The NWS issued a red flag warning for the early part of the week on Sunday, and said the most dangerous time would be overnight Monday into Tuesday. The blaze at Malibu Canyon Road, near the tunnel, was reported Monday around 11 p.m.
Gust upwards of 50 mph and extremely low humidity continue to pose a significant risk to the greater Los Angeles area, as well as the Southern California region.
Though the winds are expected to ease Tuesday afternoon, according to Brotherton, the warning will remain in place until Wednesday afternoon. Conditions will continue to be dry, particularly in Malibu where humidity percentages are in the single digits.
The public should be prepared for power outages and possible evacuations, and stay up to date on instructions from emergency officials.
Southern California Edison has shut off power to tens of thousands of customers to try to mitigate hazards.
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