Another round of fire weather could last for much of next week in Southern California, bringing new dangers as Pacific Palisades, Altadena and surrounding communities struggle to assess the damage of devastating wildfires earlier this month,
“The bottom line is: we’re in uncharted territories this deep into the winter, or rainy season,” in having barely any rain, said Alex Tardy, meterologist with the National Weather Service office in San Diego.
After mostly calm winds over the weekend, fire weather is expected to return Monday, with the peak threat arriving on Tuesday but could persist through Thursday, forecasters said. Red flag fire weather warnings are looking likely for portions of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, said Rose Schoenfeld, meteorologist for the National Weather Service office in Oxnard.
All this fire weather comes amid a continuing record-setting dry spell. The last day downtown Los Angeles has seen more than one-tenth of an inch of rain on a single day was way back on May 5. Since May 6, there hasn’t been a single day with one-tenth of an inch of rain or more, for 257 days and counting.
That’s a record for downtown — the last time downtown L.A. has gone without at least a tenth of an inch of rain was for 253 consecutive days, between Feb. 25, 2008 through Nov. 3, 2008.
And across Southern California, records have been broken over this being the driest start to the water year on record. For the three-and-a-half-month period that began Oct. 1, so little rain has fallen that it is the driest period for this time frame for Los Angeles International Airport, UCLA, Van Nuys, Woodland Hills and Camarillo.
For downtown L.A., only 0.16 inches of rain has fallen since the start of the water year on Oct. 1. The average annual rain fall since Oct. 1 for downtown L.A. over the same time period is 5.78 inches, meaning downtown L.A. has received only 3% of the rainfall the city gets on average by this time in the water year.
The severe dryness, combined with week after week of Santa Ana winds, is unusual.
Moderate Santa Ana winds are currently forecast for Monday and Tuesday, with gusts of 30 mph to 50 mph expected across Santa Ana wind corridors of Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
Peak wind gusts on Monday and Tuesday could hit 32 mph in Lancaster, 33 mph in Canoga Park, 39 mph in Oxnard and Beaumont, 44 mph in Pyramid Lake, 47 mph in Fillmore, 48 mph in Santa Clarita and 51 mph in Acton.
The Santa Ana winds, Schoenfeld said, are expected to come from the east to northeast, “predominantly affecting northern and western portions of LA County and much of Ventura County,” Schoenfeld said. With gusts of 30 mph to 50 mph, and up to around 60 mph around mountains, “This would yield locally rapid fire growth with any new fire,” Schoenfeld said.
The air is also expected to be very dry. Relatively humidity on Tuesday could hit as low as 5% in Thousand Oaks, Oxnard, Cangoa Park, Fillmore, Santa Clarita, Acton and Pyramid Lake.” “This would yield locally rapid fire growth with any new fires,” Schoenfeld said.
More clarity in the forecast will come in the next couple of days.
The Palisades and Eaton fires have burned more than 11,000 structures and killed at least 27 people. As of Saturday morning, Palisades fire, which has burned 23,713 acres, was 43% contained as of Saturday morning, according to Cal Fire. The Eaton fire, which has charred 14,117 acres, was 73% contained.
Meanwhile, the search for missing fire victims continues.
