LOS ANGELES (AP) – The strongest winds in more than a decade could hit Southern California in the United States (US) potentially causing structural damage and bringing extreme fire risk to areas that haven’t seen substantial rain in months.
The windstorm will affect Los Angeles and Ventura counties and peak today, when gusts could reach 129 kilometres per hour (kph), the National Weather Service said. Isolated gusts could top 160kph in mountains and foothills.
The weather service warned of downed trees and knocked over big rigs, trailers, and motorhomes. Powerful offshore gusts will also bring dangerous conditions off the coasts of Orange County and Los Angeles, including Catalina Island, and potential delays and turbulence could arise at local airports.
Public safety power shutoffs are being considered for nearly 300,000 customers across the region, according to Southern California Edison’s website.
The upcoming winds will act as an “atmospheric blow-dryer” for vegetation, bringing a long period of fire risk that could extend into the more populated lower hills and valleys, according to climate scientist with the University of California, Los Angeles and the National Centre for Atmospheric Research Daniel Swain.
“We really haven’t seen a season as dry as this one follow a season as wet as the previous one,” Swain said during a Monday livestream. “All of that extra abundant growth of grass and vegetation followed immediately by a wind event of this magnitude while it’s still so incredibly dry,” elevates the risk.
Recent dry winds, including the notorious Santa Anas, have contributed to warmer-than-average temperatures in Southern California, where there’s been very little rain so far this season.
