Southern California is in for some windy weekend weather, which could create dangerous seas and elevate wildfire risk in some areas.
The strongest gusts are predicted to blow Friday night and Saturday along the Interstate 5 corridor, the northwestern Antelope Valley and the Santa Ynez Mountains, according to the National Weather Service. There’s a 70% chance gusts could reach 40 to 55 mph in these areas, and a 20% chance they’ll hit 60 mph or higher, forecasters said.
The Central Coast could see gusts of 30 to 40 mph on Saturday and Sunday, according to the weather service.
Soils and vegetation have begun to dry out following the tail end of the region’s rainy season, which means the winds could create elevated fire weather conditions, with brief periods of critical risk in some areas, said Mike Wofford, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. Still, there’s likely a month or two to go before fuels become critically dry and primed to spread large fires, he said.
Slightly cooler temperatures are expected Saturday and Sunday, with temperatures averaging 5 degrees below normal, Wofford said.
The winds couldalso whip up ocean waves. Gale warnings are in effect this weekend for outer waters, the inner waters along the Central Coast and the Santa Barbara Channel, forecasters said.
Winds are forecast to increase to gale force levels Friday afternoon and continue through Sunday, with local storm force gusts possible late Saturday afternoon and evening for the outer waters from the Central Coast to San Nicolas Island, forecasters said.
The dangerous sea conditions could capsize or damage both small and large vessels, the weather service warned.
The weather service issued high surf advisories from 3 p.m. Friday to 9 a.m. Monday for beaches in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, saying that large breaking waves could reach 5 to 15 feet, with the potential to wash people off beaches and rocks, and dangerous rip currents could pull swimmers out to sea. Hazardous rip currents and elevated surf are also expected at Los Angeles County beaches and along the Malibu coast, forecasters said.
Minor beach erosion and isolated minor coastal flooding are possible, most likely during evening high tides on Saturday and Sunday, the weather service said.
