Oct 22, 2008 7:21 pm US/Pacific
You've Been Warned: Southland Sees Red Flags
LOS ANGELES (CBS) ―
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A Red Flag Warning will remain in place throughout most of the week, according to officials.
CBS
The three words Soutland residents hate hearing most -- Red Flag Warning -- were bandied about Tuesday and meteorologists say that dry air, low humidity, hot temperatures and Santa Ana wind conditions might keep the warning in place all week.
The possibility of wild fires will keep firefighters on edge throughout the week.
The National Weather Service had issued a fire weather watch for
mountain, forest and valley areas but upgraded it this morning to a more
serious red flag warning up until 11 p.m. Saturday.
NWS forecasters said the impending wind event would be "moderate" -- that's the good news. Winds far weaker than the winds that fanned the Sesnon and Marek fires in the northern San Fernando Valley last week are welcome, according to fire officials.
But wind gusts could reach 40 miles per hour in valley areas and 50 mph
in the mountains, especially tonight and Wednesday morning, they said. That is not good news.
"The offshore flow will produce some very warm temperatures on Wednesday and Thursday, as well as very low relative humidities, especially across inland areas," according to an NWS advisory.
"Extended periods of single digit relative humidities are possible across the valleys and mountains."
The red flag warning applies to the mountains of Los Angeles County, including the Santa Monica range, the Angeles National Forest and the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys. It is also in force in the mountains, forests and valleys of Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
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