More Powerful Winds on the Way for Southern California

The winds began to pick up speed overnight on Monday and into Tuesday in parts of Southern California, resulting in the ignition of another wildfire. Here is the latest information about the wildfires ravaging this part of the Golden State.

New Fire Breaks Out Monday Evening in Ventura County

Firefighters were able to quickly contain a new fire that erupted on Monday night in Ventura County. The Auto Fire was originally reported in the community of Oxnard on Monday evening. The zone near the Santa Clara River between Victoria Avenue and Ventura Road was quickly evacuated.

While the Auto Fire is still 0% contained, it has only burned 56 acres thanks to the success of crews to halt the forward progression of the blaze. The good news is that no structures have been damaged thus far as a result of this new fire.

Latest on the Active Wildfires

Meanwhile, there are still three active fires burning in nearby Los Angeles County. The fires in this part of the basin have burned over 62 square miles, equal to an area the size of Paris, France. The fires that began last week have been responsible for the destruction of over 12,000 structures.

According to the latest update from Cal Fire, the Palisades Fire is now 17% contained after burning over 27,700 acres. This acreage is equal to over 37 square miles. Over 5,000 structures have been lost in the Palisades Fire.

T​he Eaton Fire is now 35% contained with over 14,100 acres burned. Over 7,000 structures have been destroyed in the fire that has consumed over 22 square miles.

There is better news on the frontlines of the Hurst Fire. This blaze has scorched nearly 800 acres but is now 97% contained. T​he Kenneth, Lidia, Sunset, Olivias, and Woodley fires have all been 100% contained, ending the immediate threat of these events.

T​he death toll blamed on the fires remains at 24. The Eaton Fire killed at least 16 individuals while the Palisades Fire is responsible for the other eight. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's office confirmed that missing persons reports have been filed for 16 people. Local officials warn that the number of fatalities and missing people could continue to rise in the days ahead.

There are approximately 100,000 residents in Los Angeles County still under mandatory evacuation orders. Many residents have been able to return to their homes to assess the damage. Local officials have been gathering information and inputting it into an online database evacuees to check.

What is Next for the Weather?

The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued red flag warnings through Wednesday for a large part of the impacted region. Gusts ranging in speed from 50 mph to 70 mph are forecast in the mountainous terrain in Los Angeles and Ventura counties. The highest winds are predicted to whip up Tuesday morning and linger through noon on Wednesday.

The silver lining is that wind speeds in the Los Angeles basin are not expected to be quite as volatile as what the region saw last week when they first got started. Not only will the powerful winds make it more challenging to make progress on containing the current fires but the gusts will also raise the concern of new ignitions.

The NWS office in Los Angeles has also issued a "particularly dangerous situation" fire warning for much of the area. These rare warnings are reserved for potentially hazardous weather events.

Crews tried to get ahead of the potential fires by using airplanes to drop fire retardant on structures in advance of the high winds. Fire trucks have also been brought in and stationed in areas more susceptible to seeing new fires break out as the winds pick up speed. Additional water trucks have also been positioned in areas where fire hydrants ran out of water last week.

Mother Nature also lent a helping hand with unseasonably cool weather on Tuesday morning.
Los Angeles International Airport reported a temperature of 41 degrees while the mercury plummeted into the 30s in the mountains. The historical average for the middle of January at the airport bottoms out in the upper 40s.

Temperatures will continue to be cooler than average over the next week during the morning hours. Daytime highs will remain at about the historical average for this point in the winter, hovering around the 70-degree mark in and around Los Angeles. A slight cooling is on tap for Friday and Saturday with highs topping out in the low 60s during this time.

Unfortunately, there is no precipitation on the horizon for Southern California. This is typically the time of the year when the moisture machine ramps up.

Did you find this content useful? Feel free to bookmark or to post to your timeline for reference later.