Wildfire conditions across Southern California are expected to worsen this week. Just as firefighters began tackling the largest blaze, Santa Ana's winds strengthened again to hurricane-force strength.
Hot, dry winds fanned the flames, scattering embers for miles and spreading the devastation.
Strong enough winds could make it impossible for a firefighter to land. This was one of the big issues last Tuesday night when the Palisades Fire broke out.
“The wind will get stronger after this. [Sunday] afternoon. Wind gusts will be up to 50 to 70 mph. The worst day could be Tuesday,” Fox Prediction Center meteorologist Cody Blood told the paper.
Firefighters made some progress in battling the blaze, which continued Friday into Saturday, but forecasters warned that the respite from the fast-paced winds was unlikely to last long.
The Palisades fire has grown to more than 23,000 acres (an area half the size of Brooklyn, New York), but was only 11% contained as of Sunday.
Brown said Santa Ana's winds will never reach 160 mph again — as they did the first night the deadly fire broke out.
But in the hilly areas of Los Angeles County, the strongest wind gusts have difficulty reaching higher elevations.
“It's going to be pretty windy through Wednesday, but it won't be as strong as the 80 to 160 mph gusts that started all the fires in the first place. We're not talking about anything close to that.” Brad said.
Winds are likely to subside after Wednesday, but other conditions plaguing Southern California will still create ideal conditions for fires to continue to spread.
“There's no rain in the forecast yet and it's so dry that even winds of just 30 to 50 mph can add fuel to ongoing fires and risk starting new ones.” Mr. Brad warned.
With low humidity and no rain for at least the next 7-10 days, significant fire conditions are likely to persist across the region.
“It's obviously not good because there's no moisture in the air, and the wind is what makes it really difficult,” Brad said. “Winds can blow embers around, potentially starting a fire.”
Fires continued Sunday in Los Angeles County, burning at least 39,000 acres, killing at least 16 people and displacing nearly 200,000 people.
More than 12,000 buildings have been destroyed by fires in the past five days, and tens of thousands of Los Angeles residents remain under evacuation orders.
