Topanga Canyon will shut down to PCH amid high winds, wildfire weather

Topanga Canyon Boulevard will shut down along a 15-mile stretch extending to where it meets the Pacific Coast Highway amid high winds and other weather conditions creating wildfire risks, authorities said Tuesday.

Forecasters have issued a red flag warning this week due to Santa Ana winds and low humidity in parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, weather conditions that can lead to fires sparking and quickly spreading. There's also a high wind warning in effect, with strong gusts potentially bringing down trees and power lines as well as carrying fires over once they start. 

From Mulholland Drive to the PCH, Topanga Canyon will close from 6 a.m. Wednesday to 6 a.m. Friday. The California Highway Patrol has told drivers to seek alternate routes.

Only residents will be able to onto the roadway and they must show either proof of residence or a Topanga Resident Access Card.  

Earlier this year, landslides led to weeks-long closures of the roadway connecting the Malibu coast and San Fernando Valley, with authorities keeping it shut down as heavy rain brought down hillsides and the terrain remained unstable as repairs were carried out.

The National Weather Service (NWS) has described the weather conditions this week in LA and Ventura counties as potentially causing "extreme and life-threatening fire behavior," with the warning there reaching the level of a "particularly dangerous situation" — a weather advisory with a higher risk level than typical red flag warnings. 

There are also red flag warnings and high wind warnings in effect for other parts of Southern California, with the mountains and valleys of Riverside and San Bernardino counties as well as parts of Orange County seeing especially risky weather conditions.