Moderate Santa Ana winds will whip through inland San Diego County on Thursday, kicking up dust and sand that could pose a hazard for motorists, especially on Interstate 8 east of Alpine, the National Weather Service said.
The winds could be particularly fierce near the small community of Boulevard, not far from the border of San Diego and Imperial counties. Forecasters say the strongest gusts could approach 40 mph, mainly on Thursday morning.
The relative humidity also will drop below 15 percent, further increasing the risk of wildfires. But the weather service doesn’t plan to issue a fire watch, because some vegetation is still comparatively moist due to winter and summer rains.
“We’re going to have a pattern change next week, and there’s a decent chance the county will get some rain,” said Mark Moede, a weather service forecaster. “But it’s too early to tell how much. The trough we’re expecting has slowed down some. Looks like the rain would come sometime after Tuesday.”
