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Red Flag Warning In Effect As Low Humidity Increases Fire Risk In San Diego County

Fire crews battle the Gate fire in Jamul in San Diego's East County, May 21, 2017
Cal Fire
Fire crews battle the Gate fire in Jamul in San Diego's East County, May 21, 2017

Temperatures are expected to be cooler Wednesday, but winds will increase late Wednesday and humidity will drop to bring an increased risk of fire danger in the San Diego County mountains and valleys for the end of the week.

The National Weather Service issued a Red Flag warning that will be in effect from noon Thursday to 6 p.m. Friday for the western valleys and the county mountains.

Winds blowing to the west could reach 10 mph Wednesday in the western valleys and 30 mph in the mountains.

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Those winds will begin blowing east late Thursday — but remain in the 20-30 mph range — and gusts could reach 50 mph overnight into Friday, forecasters said. The strongest winds are expected Thursday night through Friday morning.

Daytime humidity will fall to 5-10% Thursday and remain around 5% Friday.

Low humidity will continue into Saturday, but winds will be much weaker by then, according to the NWS.

The threat was deemed marginal Thursday and moderate Friday, according to the Santa Ana Wildfire Threat Index, which means that and "upon ignition, fires may grow rapidly" on Thursday and "fires will be difficult to control" on Friday.

High temperatures today could reach 75 degrees near the coast and inland, 80 in the western valleys, 78 in the mountains and 98 in the deserts.

KPBS has created a public safety coverage policy to guide decisions on what stories we prioritize, as well as whose narratives we need to include to tell complete stories that best serve our audiences. This policy was shaped through months of training with the Poynter Institute and feedback from the community. You can read the full policy here.