Extreme dry winds could create wildfire hazard for southern Californians, forecasts say

Whipping Santa Ana winds and dropping humidity levels will create an enhanced risk for wildfires in Southern California this week, according to the National Weather Service, which issued a warning Monday for a "life-threatening, destructive (and) widespread windstorm" in Los Angeles for the next two days.

"A life-threatening, destructive, widespread windstorm is expected Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday morning," NWS says on its website. "Widespread damaging winds are expected across most of Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. Areas not typically windy will be impacted."

More: Damaging Santa Ana winds, 'extreme' fire weather conditions, headed to Southern California

The NWS issued both a Fire Weather Watch and a Red Flag Warning for most of Los Angeles and Ventura counties starting Tuesday through Thursday evening. A Fire Weather Watch was to remain in place in Ventura County through Friday evening.

Areas "of greatest concern and most destructive winds," include:

• Pasadena

• Burbank

• San Fernando

• Hollywood

• Beverly Hills

• Simi Valley

• Sylmar

• Porter Ranch

• Altadena

• La Crescenta

• Malibu

• Santa Gabriel / Santa Susana / Santa Monica Mountains & Foothills

• San Gabriel and San Fernando Valleys

Residents advised to exercise caution

Reaching up to 80 mph, the gusts pose an "extreme" wildfire risk, in addition to low humidity and very dry vegetation, and could be potentially damaging, according to the NWS, which cautioned residents to "use extreme caution with any potential ignition sources." The widespread risk conditions are expected to impact most of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, including still-recovering areas in Malibu after last month's Franklin Fire.

The wildfire set over 4,000 acres ablaze and caused damage to homes, sending residents fleeing for safety. It was just one of over 8,000 wildfires that burned in the Golden State in 2024, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The agency has also advised residents to "stay indoors, away from windows," and "expect power outages."

Warning comes as other half of US battered by winter storm

The weather service's warning comes as a major winter storm batters the Mid-Atlantic, putting much of Midwest and Northeast of the country under winter storm advisories, with hundreds of thousands without power as the storm stretched from Kansas to Virginia and Washington, D.C.

The storm also created chaos for drivers with widespread traffic closures and disruptions across multiple states due to snow-packed roads. The closures shut down roads in major cities such as Washington and Baltimore as well as heavily traveled highways, including I-29 in Missouri and I-65 in Indiana. Forecasters warned drivers from Missouri to Washington to stay off the roads because of snow and ice.

A massive cold front accompanying the snow is expected to keep much of the eastern half of the U.S. in a deep freeze through the rest of the week.

This story was updated to add more information.

Contributing: Brian Day, Victorville Daily Press, Christopher Cann, John Bacon, USA TODAY

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Southern California wildfires at higher risk from extreme dry winds