Gusts up to 55 mph, temperatures near 95 degrees and critically low humidity will hit Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, El Segundo and Hawthorne starting Thursday, Oct. 15, under three overlapping National Weather Service (NWS) advisories.
The convergence of a red flag warning, a wind advisory and a heat advisory marks Southern California's first Santa Ana wind event of the season, the Los Angeles Times reported. All three advisories cover Los Angeles County beaches, which include the five South Bay cities, according to the Orange County Register.
"There's a high risk for any new fires to grow really fast," NWS meteorologist Ryan Kittell told the Times.
The NWS issued the red flag warning Tuesday, Oct. 13, at 2:38 p.m., valid from Thursday at 6 a.m. through Friday, Oct. 16, at 10 p.m., the Daily Breeze reported. The agency forecasts northeast-to-east winds of 20 to 40 mph with gusts of 50 to 70 mph in the hardest-hit areas and relative humidity dropping to 8 to 20 percent.
A separate wind advisory runs from Thursday at 6 a.m. through Friday at 8 p.m., with northeast winds of 20 to 30 mph and gusts up to 55 mph. The NWS warned that gusts could blow down tree limbs, knock out power and make driving difficult for high-profile vehicles.
A heat advisory covering Los Angeles County beaches, Palos Verdes Hills and the Inland Coast runs from Thursday at 10 a.m. through Saturday, Oct. 17, at 8 p.m. NWS forecasters expect coastal and valley temperatures to climb roughly 10 degrees each day, peaking Friday.
Kittell warned of a high risk for heat illness Thursday through Saturday, noting that many coastal residents lack air conditioning. He said vegetation across the region is very dry.
UC Agriculture and Natural Resources climate scientist Daniel Swain told the Times that areas west of the 405 Freeway face greater wildfire risk because they received almost no rain from post-Tropical Storm Rachel. Areas east of the freeway got 2 to 5 inches.
The NWS said Santa Ana winds will peak between Thursday afternoon and Friday afternoon, then weaken through the weekend.
More than 37,700 Southern California Edison (SCE) customers in Los Angeles County were being considered for possible public safety power shutoffs (PSPS) as of Tuesday afternoon, SCE's website showed, according to the Orange County Register. No customers had lost power under the program at that time.
Residents can find cooling center locations at ready.lacounty.gov/heat/.
