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LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – Forecasters with the National Weather Service said there is a chance Southern California will not see rain for the entire month of January, as heatwaves and gusty Santa Ana winds are causing dangerous fire conditions.
People who live in the Santa Clarita Valley are not complaining that it feels more like summer than winter in January.
“It’s nice to be out in the sun,” said one resident Friday.
However, they are being watchful, as parts of Ventura and Los Angeles County are experiencing unseasonably warm weather.
A red flag warning of critical fire danger conditions took effect at 4 p.m. Thursday for the Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area, Los Angeles County mountains, Angeles National Forest and the Santa Clarita and San Fernando valleys, along with inland Orange County and the Santa Ana mountains.
The warning was originally set to expire at 4 p.m. Friday, but the National Weather Service extended it until 4 p.m. Saturday with the possibility of lasting until Sunday.
Firefighters are on standby in case a brush fire starts in the area.
“A lot of the vegetation that is still on the ground is still dry,” said Battalion Chief Michael Brown of the L.A. County Fire Department.
Firefighters said the wind, heat, and dry brush are what fueled the Bonita Fire Friday burning near Mountain Center.
“Strong high pressure aloft and moderate offshore pressure gradients will create periods of critical fire weather conditions through Saturday and possibly into Sunday,” according to the NWS.
Winds were expected to reach between 30 to 50 mph across much of the affected areas, with humidity dropping to between 8 percent and 15 percent, forecasters said.
NWS said the dry conditions will persist into Sunday, but wind speeds will most likely drop below 25 mph. The wind is expected to return early next week.
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