Increasing winds bring extreme fire danger to Southern California Wednesday

Strong Santa Ana winds on Wednesday will bring another afternoon of extreme fire danger to Southern California, which two deadly blazes have already ravaged.

“Right now we’re seeing the winds starting to increase. They’re expected to continue to peak, especially as we get toward dawn,” KTLA’s Kirk Hawkins said.

The fire danger peaks on Wednesday creating what the National Weather Service describes as a Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS) for several areas including Fillmore, Simi Valley, Camarillo, Thousand Oaks and Northridge, between 3 a.m. and 3 p.m.

A map provided by the Weather Service also shows much of the region will also be under red flag warnings. Those warnings, which are also in place for areas of Orange County and the Inland Empire, are set to expire at 6 p.m.

Peak mountain gusts could reach between 50 and 70 mph with coastal and valley areas possibly seeing 30 to 50 mph gusts. 

The winds will be weaker than those that hit the region during the Palisades and Eaton fires but will still be strong. 

“There is a high risk for large fires, rapid fire spread, and long-range spotting,” the Weather Service stated.

The Santa Ana winds are expected to decrease on Thursday and likely dissipate heading into the weekend.