What to Know
- A Red Flag Warning is issued for San Diego's mountains and valleys from 4 a.m. Wednesday to 6 p.m. Thursday due to elevated fire weather conditions.
- A high wind warning is in effect for the coast starting at 4 p.m. Tuesday
- A red flag warning is issued when a combination of low humidity, warm temperatures and strong winds are expected to combine to cause fires to spread rapidly
- Amid the fire weather, SDG&E warned more than 58,000 customers that power outages are possible in their area to prevent wildfires. More than 7,387 customers are currently without power.
- Cal Fire said San Diego crews would be staffed higher than usual during the weather event
- School closures: Julian Union Elementary; Julian Union High; Mountain Empire Unified; Ramona Unified; Spencer Valley; Warner Unified, Valley Center-Pauma Unified School District, Sullivan Middle School, Bonsall High School, Barona Indian Charter School
- 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.
- Follow live updates for the Los Angeles area wildfires
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
Potentially fire-thrusting winds started to pick up in San Diego County on Tuesday but the most dangerous wind conditions were expected to reach the region on Wednesday. Fire concern prompted the National Weather Service to issue a Red Flag Warning for San Diego's mountains and valleys from 4 a.m. Wednesday through 6 p.m. Thursday.
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Winds started to ramp up late Tuesday with peak gusts at these locations:
- Sill Hill: 56 mph
- Buckman Springs: 60 mph
- Boulder Creek: 56 mph
- Descanso: 53 mph
- Poway: 34 mph
- Carlsbad: 29 mph
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, Martell said. Some of the strongest winds are forecasted in Oceanside, Ramona, El Cajon, Alpine, Campo, Mt. Laguna, Julian, Borrego Spring, and Ocotillo Wells.
Wednesday is expected to be the windiest day with winds peaking in the morning and isolated gusts of more than 60mph, according to NBC 7 meteorologist Brooke Martell.
"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 56,000 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 8 a.m. Wednesday, 7,387 customers were affected, according to SDG&E's website. Some impacted communities include Campo, Campo Reservation, Pauma and Yuima Reservation and La Jolla Reservation.
⚠️ SDG&E has initiated Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) as a last resort measure to help protect our communities from wildfire risk.
— SDG&E (@SDGE) January 8, 2025
⚡ PSPS updates and impacted communities: https://t.co/kphgmm50e5 pic.twitter.com/YqwpUTTBAC
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."
Relevant content:
School closures
The winds and potential power outages prompted several San Diego County schools to close on Wednesday, the San Diego County Office of Education announced.
Schools in the following districts are affected:
- Julian Union Elementary
- Julian Union High
- Mountain Empire Unified
- Ramona Unified
- Spencer Valley
- Warner Unified
- Valley Center-Pauma Unified School District
- Sullivan Middle School
- Bonsall High School
- Barona Indian Charter School
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.
Santa Ana winds & low humidity arrive mid-week per the @NWSSanDiego
Be prepared! Visit https://t.co/ifiKRm3XiT for the Ready, Set, Go! doc which has valuable info. Create an emergency plan & practice the plan with household members. Sign up for alerts - https://t.co/xtsVKsGWPR pic.twitter.com/CiSzbibHZj— SDFD (@SDFD) January 6, 2025
