With heat wave coming, Santa Ana wind and fire risks return to SoCal

With that cool, rainy Halloween now a memory, Santa Ana winds are moving into Southern California starting Thursday, bringing escalating heat and critical fire danger in mountain areas. Residents can expect a "weak to moderate Santa Ana wind across Southern California," said Rich Thompson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard, with conditions developing late Thursday and through the weekend. The winds are expected to peak on Saturday, with gusts in the 30- to 45-mph range, he said.

Isolated gusts in mountainous areas of Ventura and Los Angeles counties could reach up to 55 mph. The winds will bring warm temperatures, with forecasts calling for "widespread upper 70s and 80s," Thompson said. The weather service noted that highs near 90 could be common, with the warmest temperatures along the coast. Downtown Los Angeles was projected to reach 87 degrees Sunday, with Santa Monica slightly cooler at a high of 84, per the weather service.

The weather service issued red flag warnings starting Saturday and extending through Sunday for sections of Los Angeles and Ventura counties. Warnings will cover the western San Gabriel Mountains, the Santa Clarita Valley, the Santa Susana Mountains and the Santa Monica Mountains, he said. The warnings signal "widespread critical fire threat through the weekend." Overall, fire risk will be driven by weather that is expected to be "very warm, dry and breezy," according to Thompson.

Amid the Santa Ana winds, the National Weather Service in San Diego is warning of temperatures well above average this weekend west of the mountains. The coastline in San Diego and Orange counties is expected to be particularly toasty for November. Highs along the coasts are forecast to reach 10 to 20 degrees above normal while the Inland Empire and San Diego valleys are set to see highs 10 to 15 degrees above normal. Temperatures are expected to peak Sunday, with a high of 89 degrees in Irvine and San Diego and 88 in Oceanside.

The last blast from Santa Ana winds fueled several fires in Southern California, the largest of which was the 570-acre Norte fire in San Clemente. Each red flag warning brings reminders of the devastating 2025 fires in Los Angeles, and tests whether officials have heeded the lessons from the Eaton and Palisades fires. After the wind and heat die down, an atmospheric river event may be in the cards for the weekend of Nov. 13 and 14. "We're still looking at the possibility of some rain the following weekend," Thompson said, but details are iffy.