Red flag warning extended to Thursday night for L.A., Ventura counties

Although the worst of the Santa Ana winds appear to have passed, Southern California is not out of the woods yet when it comes to fire risk.

On Tuesday, the National Weather Service extended its red flag warning for Los Angeles and Ventura counties until Thursday evening.

That warning was initially scheduled to expire at 10 p.m. Tuesday as winds died down, but it has been kept in place due to the predicted return of gusty winds Wednesday.

Winds will strengthen Wednesday afternoon, peak Thursday morning and subside that evening, according to the weather service. Extremely low humidity levels — below 10% — will continue to plague the region, creating a ready source of dry fuel for any potential fire to feed on.

Forecasters warned that the red flag warning could be extended into Friday for some of the region’s most wind-prone areas. Still, the predicted winds pale in comparison to the 100-mph gusts recorded on Jan. 7 when the devastating Palisades and Eaton fires broke out. They are also expected to be more moderate than the strong winds that blew through the region on Monday when a rare “particularly dangerous situation” warning was in effect.

A gust of 88 mph was recorded Monday morning in the western San Gabriel Mountains at Magic Mountain Truck Trail. Gusts hit 70 mph in the Santa Susana Mountains on Monday afternoon, weather service meteorologist Bryan Lewis said.

In more welcome news, a small amount of rain is expected in the region beginning late Friday through early Saturday.

Rain is sorely needed in the parched mountains but does bring the potential for mudflows and landslides in areas with burn scars. Bryan said, however, that the upcoming rain was not likely to be heavy enough to cause serious damage. Less than a third of an inch of rain is expected in L.A. County.