The strongest Santa Ana winds of the year continued to lash Los Angeles and Ventura counties Wednesday, bringing threats of wildfire and wind damage, toppling semi-trucks and igniting a blaze in a pallet yard in Fontana.
Moderate winds began to develop Tuesday morning and increased to gusts between 60 and 70 mph to some areas, according to the National Weather Service. The winds are expected to subside Wednesday, but gusts are expected to continue through Thursday morning.
The weather service issued a red flag warning for Los Angeles and Ventura counties through Wednesday afternoon because of the strong winds and low humidity levels, which can bring extreme fire risk to the region. Humidity levels were expected to reach between 8% and 15% between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Wednesday while peak gusts are expected to reach 40 to 60 mph in the coasts and valleys and 55 to 75 mph in the mountains and foothills.
Despite the storm last week that brought record-breaking rainfall to some areas of Southern California, fuel moistures are still low in western Los Angeles County and Ventura County since the bulk of the rain was focused in eastern L.A. County, said NWS meteorologist Mike Wofford.
“If there’s an ignition source, with these weather conditions, it can certainly take off,” he continued.
The San Bernardino County Fire Department responded to a fire just before midnight Wednesday near Boyle and Catawba avenues near the 10 Freeway in Fontana. Officials said the fire could have started at a truck yard or pallet yard before it spread to nearby homes and cars.
The blaze was fueled by 50-mph winds but was eventually extinguished, fire officials said.
Santa Anas, easterly winds that develop because of high pressure over the Great Basin, such as the Nevada and Utah area, typically come in from the northeast and pass over the mountain slopes into the Los Angeles area, according to Wofford. As they pass over the mountains, they tend to accelerate and warm up, resulting in strong gusts down in the valleys and mountainous regions.
The strongest winds tend to be focused on the western San Fernando Valley and the Santa Clarita Valley near the Highway 14 corridor and down into Ventura County, he said.
“We’ve reached our peak around during the 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. period but they’re still strong winds,” Wofford said.
At least five big rigs were overturned Wednesday morning on the 210 and 15 freeways in the Rancho Cucamonga area, resulting in the temporary closing of all southbound lanes of the 15 Freeway.
Gusts around 104 mph were recorded around 5 a.m. Wednesday at the Magic Mountain Truck Trail in Santa Clarita, according to the weather service. Winds reached 82 mph at the Palo Sola Truck Road and 81 mph at Browns Canyon.
Wofford recommended securing anything outdoors that could topple or blow away, such as patio umbrellas, and to be careful while driving, especially through mountain passes.
“Winds like this are variable so they can be very light one minute and then suddenly you can get a 50-mph gust come through,” he said. “Driving is a hazard in these kind of situations.”
Another Santa Ana event is expected to arrive Saturday and although it’s not expected to be as strong as the current one, gusty winds paired with low humidity could usher in similar conditions over the weekend.
“We could be right in this situation again on Saturday,” Wofford added.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.