Residents in San Diego County are bracing for a powerful Santa Ana wind event that is expected to intensify late tonight into early Friday morning. According to the National Weather Service San Diego, gusts reaching 55 to 65 mph, with isolated gusts up to 80 mph, will hit the county mountains and inland valleys. The agency warns that these conditions will diminish from north to south by late tonight and Friday.
In a region where the Santa Anas are known to exacerbate fire conditions, the combination of strong winds and low humidity, estimated to drop to around 10 percent, has prompted a Red Flag Warning. Significantly, the National Weather Service indicates "critical fire weather conditions" will persist through Friday for the mountains, valleys, and inland Orange County despite the winds weakening over the weekend.
Temperature-wise, coastal areas can expect high temperatures today ranging from 67 to 73 degrees, a slight decrease from Wednesday. Conversely, inland areas are projected to see a few degrees rise in temperature, creating a warmer setting for the mountains by 4 to 8 degrees. The National Weather Service’s area forecast discussion elaborates that this temperature trend will lead to a cooling down over the weekend with a gradual recovery in humidity.
Travel may be as troublesome as the fire danger, with the high wind forecast posing a significant challenge. The NWS San Diego’s Area Forecast Discussion alerts that gusty north to northeast winds "are expected to strengthen this morning," creating the potential for reduced visibility and local up/downdrafts, particularly in the mountain's lee. Meanwhile, as the weekend nears, the winds are anticipated to weaken, with Saturday seeing more localized north winds near and below the Cajon Pass with gusts mostly 35 mph or less.
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