Wildfire Risk High Despite Cold Weather, Evening Showers
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Gusty winds are back, along with chilly temperatures.
The winds brought down a large tree in Beverly Grove, breaking the window of one car and crushing the back end of another Wednesday night. At the time, UCLA reported wind gusts close to 50 mph.
More than 30 tree emergencies were reported throughout the city of Los Angeles overnight.
And even though some parts of Southern California were hit with light rain – the first moisture this season – it is not enough quell the extreme fire danger.
"Gusty winds will make driving difficult, especially for high profile vehicles," a National Weather Service statement said, which also indicated most freeways in the region will be affected. "When driving, use extra caution. Be prepared for sudden gusty cross winds."
A Red Flag warning is back in effect throughout much of Southern California Thursday, which happens to be the first day of winter.
The warning is in force from 6 a.m. through 10 a.m. Friday morning in most of Los Angeles County's mountain areas, valleys, and beach cities, along with large areas of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, where the Thomas Fire continues to burn.
The wind will be strongest in the San Gabriel mountains – 20 to 30 miles per hour gusts of up to 60 mph are expected, according to the National Weather Forecast. The strong winds will be accompanied by low humidity, prompting the Red Flag warning, which signifies a high risk of wildfire.
Sunny skies are forecast for most of Southern California, but temperatures are also not expected to breach 70 degrees in the region's warmest areas.
(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
