There is more wind coming to Southern California on Thursday, Jan. 9 and another batch of Santa Ana winds expected early next week, meteorologists say.
“We had a little bit of a decrease in wind last night, which was good news, but we are starting to see that increasing wind we’re expecting today and into tonight,” NWS meteorologist David Gomberg said. “There’s definitely some concern for the Palisades fire because that whole area will see some enhanced winds.”
The Palisades fire in Pacific Palisades and Malibu had charred 17,600 acres and destroyed or damaged thousands of structures as of Thursday morning, officials said. Containment remained at 0%.
Winds ranging from 30 to 50 miles per hour are expected during the day, according to the NWS forecast. Gusts are expected to increased 10 to 15 miles per hour Thursday evening through Friday morning. Gomberg said wind speeds are expected to peak between noon today and 6:00 a.m. tomorrow morning.
Increased winds are expected in areas typically affected by Santa Ana winds, such as Malibu, along with Santa Monica, the San Fernando Valley and the Santa Clarita Valley.
The San Gabriel Valley will also see increased winds Thursday, which will primarily be a “mountain event,” NWS meteorologist John Dumas said. It will still affect the foothills where the 10,600-acre Eaton fire is burning, and a red flag warning remains in place until Friday, as low humidity persists in the region.
“The winds are going to pick up tonight, which clearly has an impact on fire behavior but its not going to affect our strategy, unless our aircrafts are grounded,” Los Angeles Fire City Department spokeswoman Margaret Stewart said. “Right now that doesn’t look to be the case, but we won’t know until it arrives.”
Though winds are expected to decrease over the weekend and further aid the firefight, Gomberg warns that there’s a chance for more high winds beginning Monday and Tuesday.
“There is no rain on the horizon to help things out and we’ve got yet another Santa Ana wind event next week,” Gomberg said. “There could be new fires as well.”