Wind, humidity conditions cause wildfire concern

Santa Ana winds have brought humidity down to dangerous levels throughout Orange County, prompting the National Weather Service to institute a red flag wildfire warning through 6 p.m. tonight.

At the same time, temperatures will continue to be unusually cold, with lows in the low 40s in windy spots, said agency forecaster Stan Wasowski. High temperatures will stay in the 60s for the whole week, he said.

Just as frost warnings and rainfall over the weekend wound down, forecasters pointed to the continued winds as a new danger facing Southern California.

The air is extremely dry because of the winds, which are expected to reach 15 to 20 mph with gusts of 40 mph today, Wasowski said. Humidity is expected to dip below 15% even in coastal regions like Newport Beach. As a result the warning extends through the whole county, not just the high and dry Santa Ana mountains.

“This one goes from the mountains all the way to the coast,” he said.

The agency has also posted a high wind advisory for the region lasting through 6 p.m. today as well. Though winds will continue to blow Wednesday, ranging from 15 to 20 mph, today’s high gusts will be over, he said.

High winds are not expected to translate into high waves. The National Weather Service is predicting relatively low surf today and Wednesday, with wave height ranging from one to three feet at Orange County beaches.