San Diego is going to get a blast of hot air this week and local fire officials say they are bracing for the possibility of extra wildfire activity.
The temperature will climb well above normal in San Diego County as a high-pressure system pushes hot and dry desert air over the mountains and to the coast.
“We’re not expecting strong Santa Ana winds, but they will be coming out of that direction,” said Casey Oswant, National Weather Service forecaster.
The desert community of Anzo Borrego will likely be the region’s hotspot.
“And they usually see an average max temperature of about 93 degrees,” Oswant said. “But for Wednesday and Thursday, we are forecasting that their high temperature is going to reach as high as 106 degrees.”
That hot dry air will also be sapping moisture from all those plants that were fed by the region’s above-average rainfall last month.
RELATED: San Diego Has An April Without An Earth Day In Balboa Park
An abundance of dry fuel increases the chances of a wildfire gaining a foothold. But CALFIRE officials say they are ready. They plan to try to snuff out wildfires before they get too large.
CALFIRE is also asking homeowners to protect their properties by making sure they have defensible space around their property.
“We know it’s frustrating to be doing their defensible space around their home and the grass ... seems to just keep coming up,” said Thomas Shoots, CALFIRE public information officer. “But we really need people to start looking at their clearance start seeing what’s around their home and start doing their part and clearing a lot of those annual grasses because that’s ultimately what’s going to carry fire up to their home.”
RELATED: San Diego Protesters, Angry About Coronavirus Restrictions, Rally Downtown
CALFIRE is also bracing for the possibility that they may not have all the firefighters they need because of COVID 19.
Precautions are being taken, but Shoots said major wildfires require firefighters to work close to each other.
