The National Weather Service in Los Angeles/Oxnard has issued a Fire Weather Watch for most of Los Angeles County, which will go into effect late Wednesday through Friday evening. This includes La Mirada, where Biola’s campus is.
A Fire Weather Watch means that critical fire weather conditions are forecast to occur, which often include high wind speeds, heat and low humidity—all of which are anticipated this week.
Dangerous fire weather conditions possible Thu-Fri as moderate-strong #SantaAna winds combine with hot temperatures, single digit humidities, and very dry fuels. Very rapid fire spread and extreme fire behavior could threaten life/property. Stay tuned for updates.#LAWeather #cawx pic.twitter.com/Gs8kFhaT4O
— NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) October 22, 2019
The weather service predicts that wind speeds in some parts of the county could be between 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 60 mph on Thursday. It anticipates humidity as low as two to nine percent, with temperatures reaching the high 90s on Friday.
These winds are known in Southern California as the Santa Ana winds, which were the same winds that fueled last year’s Thomas and Woolsey Fires that swept through Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.
Over the weekend, the service issued a red flag warning for the mountains and valleys of Los Angeles County, in effect from 6 p.m. Saturday through 10 p.m. Sunday.
Southern California Edison, the primary electricity supply company for most of Southern California, said it is monitoring the winds and could turn off power to more than 41,000 customers across Southern California. Edison supplies Biola’s power, and though the school is not in a high-risk area, the interconnected nature of the power grid means that it could still be affected by power shutoffs.
