'Life-threatening, destructive windstorm' expected in California

The National Weather Service issued a warning for a "life-threatening, destructive (and) widespread windstorm" in California Tuesday and Wednesday.

"Widespread damaging winds are expected across most of Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. Areas not typically windy will be impacted," the weather service said.

The storm is expected to last from Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday morning, and bring with it an enhanced risk for fires.

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

"This is a Particularly Dangerous Situation – in other words, this is about as bad as it gets in terms of fire weather," the weather service in Los Angeles said in an X post Monday night.

Fire burns over 700 acres in Pacific Palisades neighborhood

Extreme winds are fueling a massive bush fire reported in Los Angeles' Pacific Palisades neighborhood shortly after 11 a.m. local time, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The blaze has burned 1,262 acres as of just after 4 p.m. local time.

Evacuation warnings and a mandatory evacuation order went into effect in the area as the blaze poses a threat to multiple lives and homes. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation as city and county fire officials battle the blaze amid windy conditions.

Cal Fire has set a red flag warning for Southern California due to intense Santa Ana winds, low humidity and critically dry fuels.

The National Weather Service forecasted damaging wind gusts between 50-80 mph, with isolated gusts between 80-100 mph for mountains and foothills are expected. Power outages are also expected Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday, according to the weather service.

Forecasters urge residents to use extreme caution with any potential ignition sources.

NWS warning expands to Bay Area

On Tuesday morning, the NWS office in the Bay Area said a wind advisory had expanded to include the North Bay Interior Valleys and Coast, San Francisco, the San Francisco Bayshore, and the East Bay Interior Valleys.

"Expect northerly to northeasterly winds of 20-30 mph with gusts up to 40-50 mph," the NWS said.

The advisory is in effect until 10 a.m. Wednesday, and the weather service is cautioning residents to secure outdoor objects and watch for downed trees and possible power outages.

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Warning comes as other half of US battered by winter storm

The weather service's warning comes as a major winter storm battered 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 has been updated to add new information.

Contributing: Anthony Robledo, James Powel

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

Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Windstorm in California: NWS sends warning for Los Angeles area