Dry winds to continue; red-flag warning extended
The warm weather and gusty winds that kept fire officials on high alert throughout the weekend will continue until tonight and into Tuesday, drying out the hillsides and increasing the chance for brush fires, weather officials said.
The National Weather Service extended a red-flag fire warning for Los Angeles and Ventura counties until 10 p.m. tonight, as temperatures in some beach areas passed 80 degrees before 8 a.m. The warning has been in effect since Friday afternoon and will be extended until Tuesday, said Weather Service meteorologist Jamie Meier.
Santa Ana winds showed little sign of relenting this morning, with gusts reaching up to 60 mph in the Whittier area. Combined with the lack of rainfall since the new year, the winds put the Southland at increasing risk of fire, Meier said.
“The air is drier, and sucks more and more moisture out of the hillsides,” Meier said. County fire strike teams continued to stand by in fire-prone areas such as Malibu, Santa Clarita and Altadena, said fire inspector Sam Padilla.
-- Victoria Kim
