High winds, low humidity expected to fuel fires through the weekend: 'Not looking good'

Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times on Jan 11, 2025

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Santa Ana gusts aren’t going anywhere, as meteorologists expect north-to-northeast winds to pick up Saturday night and continue into Sunday. The turbulent conditions will bring an official fire watch from around 6 p.m. Saturday into Sunday afternoon.

L.A. County will get a short break from the winds Sunday night before they pick up again Monday through Wednesday, gusting from 25-45 miles per hour, officials said.

“Our concern is winds picking up tonight and then on Monday through Wednesday. The general duration of this is not looking good,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Rose Schoenfeld.

Winds, combined with low humidity of around 5-15%, will bring a continued risk of red flag weather warnings.

While the dry weather is expected to last through the middle of the week, Schoenfeld said Thursday could potentially bring a respite, offering a small chance of rain and improving humidities.

“Ideally it would be a rainstorm, but we’ll take what we can get,” Schoenfeld said.

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