California braces for destructive winds this week

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Strong and damaging winds are expected to start in parts of northern and central California as early as Sunday evening and last through Wednesday.

Strong wind alerts are in effect for more than 30 million people, from north-central California to southern California.

A strong area of high pressure will develop in the northwest on Sunday evening and Monday, this area of high pressure will move towards the Grand Basin by Tuesday. As this area of high pressure develops, an area of low pressure will develop off the southern California coast.

The proximity and strength of the two systems are important. This is called the pressure gradient, which should be quite strong and will cause these intense winds to develop at the start of the week.

Winds flow from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure, so in this case the winds for this event should be broad winds, when the wind moves from land to sea. Locally through different regions of In California, these wind events are often referred to as “Diablo winds”, “mono winds” or “Santa Ana winds”.

Schedule

Areas of northern and central California are expected to experience these high winds first, arriving late Sunday and lasting through Tuesday.

“Gusts in populated areas can reach 30 mph in hills and mountains, gusts in the 40s and a possible range of 50 mph. Prepare now,” the National Weather office said Saturday evening. Service in San Francisco.

The strongest winds in northern and central California are expected to develop from Monday evening through Tuesday morning.

“We are increasingly convinced that widespread sustained northeast winds of 35 to 55 mph will be possible with gusts of 70 to 80 mph, the strongest below and through passes and canyons,” said Saturday afternoon the NWS office in Los Angeles.

The strongest winds in southern California are expected Tuesday.

Such strong winds could result in the blowing of trees and power lines, power outages and potentially widespread critical weather conditions across much of the state.

Fire time

Typical fire weather conditions in parts of Southern California are fueled by a combination of above average temperatures, low humidity values, dry vegetation and strong winds. Developing low pressure off the southern California coast could limit some of these factors, resulting in cooler temperatures and higher humidity values. For this reason, weather conditions for the fires could be somewhat limited at the start of the week.

However, many places in Southern California, including Los Angeles, have not seen measurable rain since the end of December, which means vegetation in the area has had more than two weeks to dry out. .

Southern California has also experienced record heat in recent days, in addition to increasing drought in the region.

When you factor in dry vegetation, drought conditions, and high winds, all it takes is one spark for a fire to start and spread quickly. The Storm Prediction Center did not rule out the possibility of critical fire weather conditions, particularly on Monday.

“Confidence in the wind forecast remains fairly high, but colder air entering the region will initiate a cooling trend which will improve RH (relative humidity) values over the forecast period,” said Sunday morning the Storm Prediction Center.

The SPC also said that these humidity values could drop among teens in some places due to downdrafts – dry winds that flow east to west through mountain passes in California – which could result in a few hours. of critical weather conditions fire on Monday afternoon.

This low pressure area will, however, bring much needed rain and snow to parts of the southwest over the next few days, which will help reduce widespread drought conditions in the region.

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