It’s December, but wildfire season is not over yet in Southern California.
An unusual warm weekend followed by dry conditions and gusty Santa Ana winds is expected to bring elevated fire danger to Los Angeles and Ventura counties next week.
Both counties are under a fire weather watch from 10 a.m. Monday until 6 p.m. Wednesday because of moderate to locally strong winds and very low humidity, according to the National Weather Service. The weather service anticipates upgrading the watch to red flag warnings sometime over the weekend.
Above-average temperatures are forecast everywhere other than the coast this weekend, with highs in the low 80s. On Monday, moderate Santa Ana winds are expected to sweep through Los Angeles and Ventura at 20 to 35 mph, with gusts reaching between 35 and 50 mph.
On Monday night, localized wind gusts of 50 to 65 mph are predicted for the western San Gabriel, the Santa Susana and western Santa Monica mountains, bringing an even higher risk of fire, according to the weather service.
There is a strong likelihood of widespread single-digit humidity on Monday and Tuesday, and potentially continuing into Wednesday, according to the weather service. Though humidity levels typically rise at night, the weather service is predicting “poor overnight recovery” with humidity unlikely to surpass 20% on Monday and Tuesday night.
“We do have high confidence that the fire weather watches will be converted to red flag warnings,” said Carol Smith, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. “Our highest confidence for high wind conditions is Monday night through Tuesday night.”
While people often associate the arrival of winter with the end of hot, dry fire weather, Southern California’s 2024 fire season is forecast to run through Dec. 31, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
“Some of California’s most devastating wildfires have occurred in late autumn and early winter, particularly in November and December,” Cal Fire said in a statement last month. “Every dry, windy day up until then holds the potential for wildfires. Stay informed, stay vigilant, and make sure you’re prepared.”
In November, extremely high winds and low humidity rates prompted the weather service to issue a rare “particularly dangerous situation” red flag alert on Nov. 5, warning of “widespread, extreme fire weather conditions.” The following day the Mountain fire exploded in Camarillo Heights and, fueled by gusts of up to 80 mph, scorched more than 20,000 acres and destroyed more than 130 structures.
Smith said this year’s fire season is gearing up to be slightly longer than usual but is not particularly out of the ordinary.
“We try to end it [fire season] by around Christmastime, but that seems to be unlikely at this point,” she said. “We need a decent widespread, 3- to 4-inch rain event. That would typically signal the end of fire season.”
She urges everyone to remember standard fire weather precautions: refrain from using open flames outdoors, clear dry debris around your home, don’t smoke in open areas and don’t operate heavy machinery near dry brush.
L.A. County residents can sign up for emergency warnings at alert.lacounty.gov and Ventura County residents can sign up at vcalert.org.
