Hot, dry windy conditions are with us again… it's our second Santa Ana in two weeks and it's only May. The threat of fire couldn't get more serious for San Diego as we head into summer. But is your property prepared? Is your neighborhood prepared? Today we'll talk with fire officials and experts about getting ready for an extended fire season in the county.
The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning through 8 p.m. on Wednesday for the inland and mountain areas of the county. At 3 p.m., the NWS issued a heat advisory for the coast Tuesday through Thursday and the valleys Wednesday through Thursday.
"I’d say the threat for fire danger is higher in this event just because we’re so dried out from the last event," said Alex Tardy, meteorologist with National Weather Service San Diego.
San Diego County was hit two weeks ago with one of the strongest Santa Ana events since the October 2007 wildfires.
"This wind event will be about half- to three-quarters of the last one," Tardy said, with the strongest gusts of up to 75 mph in the mountains and valleys expected to occur Tuesday starting at sunrise and continuing through Wednesday evening.
Temperatures on Monday are expected to reach 90 degrees in the inland valleys, with wind gusts reaching 50 mph along the mountain slopes.
According to NWS, the heat will intensify starting Tuesday and continue through Thursday, with daytime temperatures soaring to 100 degrees west of the mountains.
The ridge of high pressure will begin to degrade on Friday, allowing cooler weather to arrive in time for the weekend, but there is no precipitation in the 10-day outlook, stated NWS.
“We have all but reached that time of year where we have to wait until next fall for appreciable rainfall west of the mountains,” NWS stated.
