As LA wildfires rage, San Diego braces for winds, SDG&E power shutoffs

Amid an already dry winter season, the first Santa Ana wind event of 2025 is elevating fire danger this week and threatening power shut-offs for tens of thousands of San Diego Gas & Electric customers.

Fire weather

A Red Flag Warning for San Diego's mountains and valleys that first went into effect at 4 a.m. Wednesday was extended through 6 p.m. Friday as weathercasters tracked a resurgence in Santa Ana winds in the coming days. A high wind warning for the coast has also been extended.

"While Thursday will start out fairly calm, we’ll see another bump in winds by later Thursday into Friday morning," NBC 7 Meteorologist Greg Bledsoe said. "This second round will affect the mountains and foothills more than the rest of the county. Because of the continued dry conditions and the fluctuating wind, fire danger will remain elevated through Friday."

Potentially fire-thrusting winds started to pick up in San Diego County on Tuesday. Below are the peak gusts as of 3 p.m. Wednesday:

• Palomar Mountain: 81 mph
• Hauser Mountain: 67 mph
• Buckman Springs: 60 mph
• Crestwood: 59 mph
• Sill Hill: 59 mph
• Boulder Creek: 56 mph
• La Posta: 55 mph
• Potrero: 56 mph
• Sunrise Hwy: 52 mph
• Alpine: 51 mph
• Boulevard: 51 mph
• Otay Mountain: 48 mph

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This Santa Ana wind event was expected to be moderate for San Diego County but an extremely dry winter season was elevating the potential for a wildfire to spark and spread rapidly, NBC 7 Meteorologist Brooke Martell said. Some of the strongest winds are forecasted in Oceanside, Ramona, El Cajon, Alpine, Campo, Mt. Laguna, Julian, Borrego Spring, and Ocotillo Wells.

"As we know, Southern California is off to a very dry start to the water year (Oct. 1)," Martell said. "Santa Ana winds are very common during January, but what isn’t common is how dry it is."

Much of Southern California has entered the moderate drought category as we enter 2025. The U.S. Drought Monitor attributed the change to above-average temperatures and below-average precipitation. It's estimated nearly 19 million Californians are in drought areas.

The Los Angeles area was hit especially hard by the extreme weather conditions and by Wednesday morning, three major wildfires were burning -- leaving homes scorched, tens of thousands of people evacuated and firefighters from across the state responding. At least two people have died in the Eaton Fire burning near Pasadena, officials said Wednesday.

SDG&E Public Safety Power Shutoffs

Amid the elevated fire weather, SDG&E warned more than 69,000 customers their power may be cut off anytime from noon Tuesday to 4 p.m. Friday. Strong winds and low humidity create the perfect weather conditions for wildfires to spark and spread rapidly, according to the National Weather Service.

By 6 p.m. Wednesday, 8,946 customers were affected, according to SDG&E's website. Some impacted communities include Campo, Campo Reservation, Pauma and Yuima Reservation and La Jolla Reservation and Alpine where residents were bracing for the worst and hoping for the best.

"The winds themselves aren’t dangerous, it’s the things that come in tandem with them. That’s what’s really terrifying. But you know, out here in Alpine, you just do your best to be prepared and everything and you just hope for the best," Autumn Bradley said.

The Public Safety Power Shutoffs, as SDG&E calls them, are issued to prevent energized power lines from going down and sparking a wildfire. SDG&E says its decision to cut power to customers is made based on a combination of factors that include weather monitoring and on-the-ground observations.

Caltrans on Tuesday notified the public that public safety power shutoffs "can impact traffic signal operations, with signals initially flashing and potentially going dark after extended outages," a statement from the agency said.

According to the agency, signals will function normally for three hours after an outage begins, followed by "red flash" mode for an additional three to six hours and finally, if the outage last more than six hours, signals will enter "blackout mode."

During blackout mode, drivers must treat the intersection as a four-way stop. Stop and proceed only when it is safe.

Reid Medina was one of hundreds of residents at the Ramona Chevron preparing for the possibility of another power outage.

"Generator, water, can food, everything like that," Medina said. "Pretty brutal cold showers if you don't got a generator. It's rough."

Mark Sitto, the owner of the gas station, was also prepared with firewood, propane, stocked food shelves and fuel.

"If the power is going out, we are going to stay here 24 hours," Sitto said. "People are scared. They don't want it to happen like last time."

SDG&E opened several community resource centers across the county. The centers — open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. — offer charging stations for phones and medical devices, as well as Wi-Fi connection. Water and snacks are also available.

School closures

The winds and power outages prompted several San Diego County schools to close on Thursday, the San Diego County Office of Education announced.

Schools in the following districts are affected:

Relevant content:

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• Julian Union Elementary School District
• Julian Union High School District
• Mountain Empire Unified School District
• Warner Unified School District

Sullivan Middle School and Bonsall High School will also be closed on Thursday.

Be fire ready

Cal Fire said San Diego crews would be staffed higher than usual and crews from Northern California would be heading south to aid efforts in SoCal.

The agency urged residents to do their part as well and provided the following reminders:

• One small spark can quickly become a large fire when it’s windy.
• When towing, ensure chains are not dragging.
• Avoid mowing or trimming dry grass on windy days.
• Do not park vehicles in dry grass.
• Ensure campfires are fully extinguished.
• Report suspicious activities promptly to prevent arson.

Cal Fire also urged residents to create an evacuation plan for humans and pets, to have a go-bag ready and to remove flammable items from the home.