More Santa Ana winds to bring extreme wildfire risk to Southern California this weekend
As the winds continue to whip across Northern and Central California, we are starting to see some serious fire threats in Southern California. After a week in which the weather was relatively uneventful by the standards of the Central Valley, a huge and destructive fire complex has now emerged that looks ready to explode into the most devastating fire season in the history of Southern California.
So far, the fires have been contained, but the danger is that they could still grow in the coming days. The threat is growing not only in the immediate area, but also along the California coast, and could potentially threaten Los Angeles. So far, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection has had limited success working with fire agencies here on controlling the fires, so the risk to the city seems very real.
The Santa Ana winds have arrived, and the intensity of the winds are increasing rapidly. The winds have already started bringing extreme fire danger to southern Orange County, and could possibly do the same across Southern California in coming days. These winds are expected to be the biggest threat for Southern California this weekend.
Some people have been wondering if the winds that are currently being splayed out across Southern California could be enough to bring catastrophic conditions to the Santa Ana wind zone, but the reality is that this would require a tremendous change in the weather patterns. So far, this is looking like just another Santa Ana wind storm.
Once this system breaks out, it will be interesting to see how powerful it is. There is currently a strong wind shear layer across Southern California, and the winds are expected to be extremely high in Southern California. If conditions are right, it could create a truly cataclysmic fire situation that could potentially burn a swath across Southern California and could potentially threaten Los Angeles.
Some people are speculating that the winds could be so strong that it could even make the fires jump the Santa Ana wind barrier, but the reality is that the Santa Ana winds have a much shorter duration than the Santa Ana gusts. So even with the most extreme conditions, only a few hours and possibly not even a day will separate the fire threats.
In fact, the only scenario where this situation could be as bad as some people think could involve a strong Santa Ana gust
