California is preparing this week for harmful winds

by

Strong, damaging winds began Sunday night in parts of northern and central California and are expected to last through Wednesday.

There are strong wind alerts for more than 30 million people from central California to Southern California.

A strong high-pressure zone will be built across the northwest on Monday; this high-pressure zone will move to the Great Basin on Tuesday. While this high-pressure zone is being built, a low-pressure zone will be developed on the southern coast of California.

The proximity and strength of the two systems is important. It is known as the pressure gradient, which is expected to be quite strong and will cause these intense winds to develop earlier this week.

Winds flow from high-pressure areas to low-pressure areas, so in this case the winds of this event are expected to be sea winds, when the wind moves from land to sea. Locally in different parts of California, these wind events are often called “Devil’s Winds,” “Monkey Winds,” or “Santa Ana Winds.”

Timing

Northern and central California is already experiencing these strong winds, which will last until Tuesday.

“Gusts in populated areas can reach 30 mph while in the mountains and mountains, gusts in the 1940s and possible 50 mph. Get ready now,” the Meteorological Service’s office said Saturday evening. National of San Francisco.

Stronger winds in northern and central California are expected to develop Monday night through Tuesday morning.

“We are gaining more confidence in the fact that widespread sustained NE winds of 35 to 55 mph will be possible with gusts of 70 to 80 mph, stronger below and through steps and cannons,” the office said Saturday afternoon. from the NWS to Los Angeles.

Strongest winds are expected in Southern California on Tuesday.

Such strong winds could cause downed trees and power lines, power outages and potentially widespread critical fire weather conditions in much of the state.

Fire time

Typical fire weather conditions in Southern California are fueled by a combination of above-average temperatures, low humidity values, dry vegetation, and strong winds. Low pressure developing on the southern coast of California could limit some of these factors, leading to cooler temperatures and higher humidity values. Because of this, the weather conditions for the fires could be a bit limited earlier this week.

However, many places in Southern California, including Los Angeles, have not seen measurable rainfall since late December, meaning the region’s vegetation has had more than two weeks to dry out.

Southern California has also experienced a record heat in recent days, in addition to the growing drought across the region.

When dry vegetation, drought conditions and strong winds are taken into account, only a spark is needed for the fire to start and spread quickly. The Storm Prediction Center has not ruled out the possibility of fire weather conditions, especially on Monday.

“Confidence in the wind forecast remains quite high, but the colder air entering the region will begin a cooling trend that will improve HR (relative humidity) values ​​during the forecast period,” he said. storm prediction center Sunday morning.

The SPC also said these humidity values ​​could fall on teens in some locations due to inclined winds (dry winds that flow from east to west through California mountain passes) that could cause a few hours of fire weather conditions Monday afternoon.

This low-pressure area, however, will bring some much-needed rain and snow to parts of the southwest over the next few days, which will help reduce widespread drought conditions throughout the region.

.Source