Authorities warned of critical fire conditions for much of Ventura County as the season's first widespread Santa Ana winds kick up later this week.
The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning scheduled to take effect early Oct. 15. A combination of the gusty winds and low humidity can mean wildfires start easier and spread faster.
The forecast called for the strongest Santa Anas to start Thursday and peak on Friday. Gusts could reach up to 55 mph in local areas, said Mike Wofford, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. Some mountain spots could see stronger gusts.
Temperatures also will climb and humidity levels will drop, possibly into single digits. That could leave vegetation – already at critical levels – tinder
dry in local areas, from Simi Valley to the Santa Monica Mountains. During red flag conditions of high winds, low humidity and heat, the finer fuels become even more receptive to fire, said Andrew Dowd, spokesperson for the Ventura County Fire Department.
"We're going to be staffing up extra fire engines, extra water tenders and additional firefighters throughout our wildland division to make sure we have appropriate resources ready should a fire start," Dowd said.
Southern California Edison announced it may shut off power in local areas starting early Thursday in case of hazardous conditions. The utility company plans to monitor nearly 90 local circuits during the Santa Ana winds.
Lines could be de-energized to prevent electrical equipment from sparking a fire — outages called Public Safety Power Shutoffs, or PSPS, officials said. As of Wednesday, the monitored areas included nearly 125,000 customers in Ventura County.
The local circuits included those in and around Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, Moorpark, Santa Paula, Fillmore, Ojai, Camarillo, Ventura and the Santa Monica Mountains.
What is a Public Safety Power Shutoff?
The shutoffs are designed to de-energize electrical circuits to prevent problems from debris and trees blowing into power lines.
Dozens of California fires have been blamed on electrical equipment, including the massive Thomas Fire that started near Santa Paula in 2017 and the Woolsey Fire that ignited near Simi Valley the following year.
If an outage happens, the power likely won’t go on as soon as the wind dies down. Lines could be damaged or branches could be on them, according to Edison. Crews have to patrol an area before restoring power and fix any issues, officials said.
More information about potential power outages is available at sce.com/psps. For a map of areas being monitored or outages, visit sce.com/outage-center/check-outage-status.
When will the Santa Ana winds subside?
Forecasters said the Santa Ana winds are expected to taper off after Friday, but breezy conditions could stick around into Saturday.
The above-normal temperatures will remain into the weekend and start to cool down Sunday and into early next week, according to the weather service. By midweek, a low pressure system could bring "another big swing" for the weather, the agency said. The early forecast showed cooler conditions but little to no rainfall.
Visit vcemergency.com for information about the Santa Ana winds and a list of resource centers for those affected by any outages. To sign up for emergency alerts, go to readyventuracounty.org/vc-alert/.
Cheri Carlson covers the environment for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at cheri.carlson@vcstar.com.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Santa Ana winds prompt wildfire warnings, potential power outages
