At least six separate wildfires were burning in Los Angeles County on Thursday morning , and winds were forecast to pick up again during the day, forecasters said, which could further fan the flames.
Even though winds have subsided compared to the peak of the Santa Ana wind event Tuesday and Wednesday, the concern for Thursday is that winds will increase again during the midday and afternoon hours, AccuWeather said.
According to the National Weather Service , on Thursday, north to northeast wind gusts of 30 to 50 mph will be common across the typical Santa Ana wind locations, strongest across the mountains and foothills. For Thursday night and Friday, winds will be slightly stronger, with gusts of 40 to 55 mph, and isolated gusts up to 70 mph possible in some foothills and peaks.
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Risk for fires at critical level
The winds will keep the risk for fires at a critical level and make conditions for fighting the fires both by ground and air difficult, AccuWeather said. There will also be widespread areas of smoke from the fires, which will make for very poor air quality downwind of the blazes.