Southern California is ‘uncharted territory’ as fire weather returns throughout next week

Another round of fire weather could linger for much of next week in Southern California, bringing new dangers as Pacific Palisades, Altadena and surrounding communities struggle to assess the damage from devastating wildfires earlier this month.

“The bottom line is: we’re in an unprecedented winter, or rainy season,” said Alex Tardy, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s San Diego office.

After calm winds over the weekend, fire weather is expected to return on Monday, with the biggest threat arriving on Tuesday but continuing into Thursday, forecasters said. Red flag fire weather warnings are in place for parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, said Rose Schoenfeld, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Oxnard office.

All of this fire weather comes during an ongoing record-breaking dry season. The last day the city of Los Angeles had more than one-tenth of an inch of rain in one day was May 5. Since May 6, there has not been a single day with less than one-tenth of an inch of rain. or more, 257 days and counting.

That’s a city record — the last time the city of LA went without at least a tenth of an inch of rain was 253 consecutive days, between Feb. 25, 2008 to Nov. 3, 2008.

And across Southern California, records were broken in what was the driest start to the water year on record. In the period of three and a half months that started on Oct. 1, so little rain is expected that it is the driest period this season for Los Angeles International Airport, UCLA, Van Nuys, Woodland Hills and Camarillo.

In downtown LA, only 0.16 inches of rain has fallen since the start of the water year in Oct. 1. Average annual rainfall from Oct. 1 for the city of LA during the same period is 5.78 inches, which means that the city of LA received only 3% of the rain that the city receives on average at this time in the water year.

Severe drought, combined with week after week of Santa Ana wind, is not uncommon.

Moderate Santa Ana winds are currently in the forecast for Monday and Tuesday, with gusts of 30 mph to 50 mph expected across the Santa Ana winds in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

Wind gusts on Monday and Tuesday could hit 32 mph in Lancaster, 33 mph in Canoga Park, 39 mph in Oxnard and Beaumont, 44 mph in Pyramid Lake, 47 mph in Fillmore, 48 mph in Santa Clarita and 51 mph in Acton.

Santa Ana’s winds, Schoenfeld said, are expected to come from the east to the northeast, “mostly affecting parts of northern and western LA County and much of Ventura County,” Schoenfeld said. With winds of 30 mph to 50 mph, and up to about 60 mph around the mountains, “This will produce rapid fire growth in the area with any new fire,” Schoenfeld said.

The air is also expected to be very dry. Relative humidity on Tuesday could drop to 5% in Thousand Oaks, Oxnard, Cangoa Park, Fillmore, Santa Clarita, Acton and Pyramid Lake.” “This will cause rapid fire growth for any new fires,” Schoenfeld said.

More details on the forecast will come in the next few days.

The Palisades and Eaton fires burned more than 11,000 structures and killed at least 27 people. As of Saturday morning, the Palisades fire, which has burned 23,713 acres, was 43% contained as of Saturday morning, according to Cal Fire. The Eaton fire, which has burned 14,117 acres, was 73 percent contained.

Meanwhile, the search for the missing fire victims continues.