Sporadic Santa Ana winds will gust through parts of San Diego County from late Saturday to early Wednesday, increasing the risk of wildfires while lifting temperatures to 80 degrees at the coast, the National Weather Service said.
The winds also could kick up dust storms in some areas, notably along Interstate 8 east of Alpine, and possibly in Ramona. A high wind watch will be in effect for the eastern half of the county from 2 a.m. Monday to 5 p.m. Wednesday.
The county’s unusually wet winter and the rain it received in August from Tropical Storm Hilary tamped down the wildfire threat. But that advantage has begun to fade in recent weeks with the arrival of the Santa Anas.
Wildfire conditions could reach critical levels this weekend due to the combination of wind, low relative humidity and high temperatures.
Forecasters said the Santa Anas will begin blowing late Saturday night and last well into Sunday, with the fastest gusts reaching 40 mph to 60 mph in some inland areas, with isolated gusts to 70 mph.
Initially, the winds will hit Orange County and the Inland Empire hardest. But the winds will shift Sunday into Monday, taking a more direct route through the San Diego County mountains.
The daytime high in San Diego is expected to reach 77 on Sunday, 80 on Monday and 82 on Tuesday. The seasonal high is 74.
So far, San Diego Gas & Electric, which has 222 weather stations throughout San Diego County and southern Orange County, hasn’t indicated that it might need to temporarily turn off power in some areas to reduce the risk of wildfires.
The dicey weather comes during a week in which the county is observing the 20th anniversary of the Cedar fire, which erupted in the Cleveland National Forest and eventually killed 15 people, destroyed more than 2,200 homes and burned more than 273,000 acres.
UC San Diego subsequently built ALERTCalifornia, a network of live cameras that were placed in fire-prone areas locally and around the state. On Tuesday, Time magazine named the system one of the best inventions of 2023.
