Crime & Safety

Santa Ana Conditions Bring 'Explosive Fire-Growth Potential'

A "red flag" alert status is scheduled to go into effect at 9 a.m. Thursday and run until 5 p.m. Friday.

A predicted spell of warm, windy and extremely dry conditions prompted the National Weather Service to issue a "red flag" wildfire warning for the San Diego area, including Santee, effective Thursday morning through Friday evening.

Over the period, "explosive fire-growth potential" is likely to prevail in the county's inland valleys and eastern highland due to sustained Santa Ana winds up to 30 mph and gusts reaching 50 mph, amid daytime humidity levels as low as 5 percent, the NWS advised.

The alert status is scheduled to go into effect at 9 a.m. Thursday and run until 5 p.m. Friday, when the winds will start to diminish and an increasing marine layer will begin to usher in higher atmospheric moisture levels across the western reaches of the region, according to forecasters.

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-City News Service

Also read: Cal Fire Increases Staffing in Southern California as Fire Danger Rises

Find out what's happening in Santeewith free, real-time updates from Patch.


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