Red Flag warnings have been issued in Southern California on Sunday evening ahead of strong Santa Ana winds and low humidity, setting the stage for dangerous fire conditions.
The National Weather Service (NWS) said the warnings will go into effect at 7 p.m. on Sunday until 6 p.m. on Monday across portions of Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
“A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now, or will shortly,” wrote NWS in a Sunday afternoon update . “Use extreme caution with anything that can spark a wildfire.”
Residents can expect wind gusts as high as 60 mph in the northern areas of the San Fernando Valley. In Santa Monica and the LAX area, gusts are expected to be closer to 20-30 mph, increasing the chances for wildfires.
KTLA’s Rachel Menitoff spoke with a representative from Southern California Edison, who said the company is warning about 164,000 customers of possible power outages between Sunday and Monday in Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura and San Bernardino counties.