More than 11 million residents, from the central coast to southern California, received red-flag warnings due to winds that exacerbated the risk of fire. And about 150,000 customers no longer had power on Tuesday due to a combination of trees and downed power lines, and utilities proactively turned off power to prevent fires.
Winds at the highest elevation in the Sierra Alta had surpassed 100 mph on Tuesday. Strong gusts of more than 50 mph were recorded at San Francisco International Airport.
Several hurricane-force gusts were reported Tuesday in the mountains of Ventura and Los Angeles counties in southern California. The cause of the strong winds: the combination of a developing storm off the coast of California and a strong high-pressure building across the western U.S.
Winds were expected to slowly subside on Wednesday.
On Monday, gusts of more than 90 mph were reported from Sacramento to the Bay Area, with a gust reaching 100 mph near Kirkwood, east of Sacramento. There was even a 90 mph wind gust in Tahoe, with winds of over 60 mph stretching up and down the coast.
To put it in perspective, the winds of a Category 1 hurricane are 74 to 95 mph and those of Category 2 are 96 to 110 mph. This means that gusts of wind in California could reach speeds equivalent to a strong Category 2 hurricane.
According to SCE, “When there is a high risk of fire, we can temporarily cut off power to your neighborhood to prevent our electrical system from becoming the source of ignition.”
“With nearly 80 percent of the western United States experiencing drought conditions, the area is like a wooden box,” CNN meteorologist Pedram Javaheri said.
The fires would flourish
Winds could be the strongest event of the season, forecasts say, which could make the flame even more dangerous.
“The combination of dry fuels and tropical storm winds could cause trees and power lines to fall, so any ignition of new fires would flourish and expand rapidly in these conditions,” Javaheri said.
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.
And the wind that is expected to reach the region is what is only seen every three years, the San Diego National Weather Service said.
About 30 million Californians, or about 3 out of 4 people in the state, could see strong winds through Tuesday, Javaheri said.
Climate change is adding fuel to the fire
With warmer temperatures and less consistent rainfall, fire conditions are increasingly dangerous and occur more frequently. Areas burned by forest fires are on the rise in the United States, especially in all Western states.
Burned annual areas in the western United States could increase two to six times from current levels, according to the U.S. National Climate Assessment.
“What’s happening right now in California is a perfect example of how the wildfire season has increased in its entirety across the western United States,” says Brandon Miller, a meteorologist and climate expert at CNN.
Although Santa Ana wind events usually occur from October to March, usually only the first few months present a dangerous fire.
“In January, western states should enter the rainy season and humidity levels would be high enough to keep the fire threat low,” Miller says.
With record fire seasons in recent years, California firefighters no longer refer to a “fire season,” but rather a “fire year,” as climate change has increased the duration of the fire. season on both sides “. Miller said.
Possibility of wet weather
There could be a fair amount of good news by the end of the week, as as the windstorm moves through Southern California on Wednesday, it could leave a gift of moisture, Javaheri said.
A low-pressure system that developed on the coast could lead to cooler temperatures and higher humidity values. And rising humidity could mean the weather will turn off the dry southwest region.
In Arizona, Phoenix had a 242-day streak with no rainfall and Yuma, 110 days, until both cities saw rainy days on Dec. 10.
Reducing widespread drought throughout the region could mean relief from possible fire conditions.
CNN’s Haley Brink contributed to this report.