Strong Santa Ana winds, fire danger cause rare PDS warning to remain in effect in Southern California
Weather officials continue to warn about extreme fire danger as a "Particularly Dangerous Situation" red flag remains in effect for Southern California.
Even though the National Weather Service downgraded the high wind advisory to a wind advisory, strong wind gusts could still reach between 50 and 70 mph. The advisory will remain in effect until 3 p.m. Wednesday in areas like the valleys, mountains and some coastal communities.
"The winds underperformed today, but one more enhancement could happen tonight-tomorrow," the NWS said.
The PDS warning remains in effect until 3 p.m. for significant portions of Los Angeles and Ventura counties. The NWS said northeast to east Santa Ana winds could reach up to 70 mph in mountain areas and up to 50 mph in coast and valley areas.
A red flag warning will remain in effect until 3 p.m. Thursday for areas like the Santa Susana Mountains, the western San Gabriel Mountains and the I-5 corridor.
"The Particularly Dangerous Situation designation was designed to be issued once every few years (on average), so some years it may be issued several times and then we may go a few years without one," Dr. Robert Munroe with the NWS Los Angeles said.
A PDS is not intended to predict if fires will start. The warning is used to alert first responders and the public about an extremely dangerous environment.
The NWS said the strong winds could cause localized power outages, downed trees and unsafe driving conditions. Residents who live near wildland or dry vegetation should be prepared to evacuate if a fire ignites.
"Because the winds have been with us for the last few days, we are really dry right now. So not only are we talking about low humidity levels, but that vegetation is also dry," said CBS News Los Angeles Meteorologist Amber Lee.
The 2024-25 year has been the second driest water year to date, according to NWS records that date back to 1877.
"Still no rainfall. We will be talking about fire danger until it rains," said CBS News Los Angeles Meteorologist Paul Deanno.
This wind event will be weaker than the "life-threatening" windstorm from last week, but rapid growth remains a big concern.
Thousands of residents near the Palisades and Eaton fire zones remain evacuated after damaging gusts helped carry embers and spread flames. The wildfires have killed 25 people and destroyed thousands of structures, leaving people without homes.
