Extremely dry and windy conditions will continue to create acute fire hazards Thursday and for the rest of the week across much of the San Diego region, meteorologists said.
The expected onset of strong Santa Ana winds and the accompanying potential for critical combustion dangers in local inland valley and mountain locales prompted the National Weather Service to issue a red flag wildfire warning, effective from 3 p.m. Wednesday to 11 a.m. Friday.
“A low pressure system moving inland through California will bring gusty west winds for the mountains and deserts for late Monday into early Tuesday along with a slight chance of showers for Monday night,” said the NWS. “Then dry and warmer for the middle of next week.”
San Diego Gas & Electric on Thursday announced it had cut power to around 1,250 customers in the communities of Boulevard, Campo, Descanso, Jamul, Potrero, and the Viejas Reservation as a result of the high winds and fire conditions.
Public Safety Power Shutoffs are “approved by state regulators as an important safety tool of last resort to mitigate fire risk during dangerous weather conditions,” a statement from SDG&E read.
Customers who have been notified should be prepared to be without power through Friday, but the utility has opened its Emergency Operations Center to monitor conditions and has crews, materials and equipment ready for response.
Over the warning period, humidity levels will fall as low as 11% and winds out of the north and northeast will range from 15 to 30 mph, with gusts hitting 55 mph in some spots, the NWS reported. As a result, any brush fires that erupt would likely spread rapidly and exhibit “extreme behavior,” the agency advised.
Authorities advised the public to refrain from any outdoor burning while the wildfire warning remains in effect.
Earlier this week, strong winds forced school closures in the southeastern part of San Diego County.
City News Service contributed to this report.
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