What to Know
- A Red Flag Warning has been extended for San Diego's mountains and valleys until 6 p.m. Friday due to elevated fire weather conditions.
- A high wind warning has also been extended until 2 p.m. Friday, but no longer includes the coast.
- 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
- 1,104 SDG&E customers are currently without power. More than 74,000 customers are still under possible shut-off alerts
- Cal Fire said San Diego crews would be staffed higher than usual during the weather event
- School closures: Julian Union Elementary School District; Julian Union High School District; Mountain Empire Unified School District; Warner Unified School District
- The Los Angeles area was hit especially hard by the extreme weather conditions leaving thousands of homes destroyed and at least 6 dead
As winds die down in San Diego County, SDG&E restored electricity to thousands of customers who had their power cut off to prevent wildfires, though meteorologists warn we're not yet in the clear from fire weather.
A red flag warning was extended through Friday at 6 p.m. for San Diego's mountains and valleys due to another burst of strong Santa Ana winds and low humidity that when combined can intensify any wildfires that spark.
While San Diego saw a break from strong winds on Thursday, NBC 7 Meteorologist Brooke Martell said gusts will begin to pick up for the mountains and valleys again overnight Thursday and into Friday morning.
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Julian, Pine Valley, Campo and Ramona are expected to see strengthening winds in 60 to 70 mph range with some gusts possibly reaching 80 mph, particularly early Friday. Drivers, particularly of high-profile vehicles, travelling on Interstate 8 near Banning Pass could have difficulty.
Along the coastline, particularly from Encinitas to La Jolla, winds in the 25-40 mph range are possible, the National Weather Service said.
Meanwhile, humidity will fall to about 10% through Friday.
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.
Some relief is expected this weekend but there is a possibility Santa Ana winds are in the forecast next week. NBC 7's team of meteorologists are keeping and eye on weather conditions and will have more information in their First Alert Forecasts.
Here's a look at the maximum wind gusts expected through Friday. Please stay safe and travel with care, we're all in this together 🚗💙🚚 pic.twitter.com/Dge8vAD5Si
— NWS San Diego (@NWSSanDiego) January 9, 2025
SDG&E Power Shutoffs
SDG&E crews started efforts Thursday to patrol powerlines de-energized during Public Safety Power Shutoffs and to restore power to about 7,000 customers previously in the dark. Power appeared to be restored to all by 3 p.m., but 1,104 customers in Descanso were without power as of 9:30 p.m.
More than 73,000 customers are still under PSPS warnings through 4 p.m. Friday, which means the utility could again cut power if weather conditions shift. PSPS are initiated 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.
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School closures
The winds and power outages prompted several San Diego County schools to close this week. The San Diego County Office of Education announced schools in the following districts would be closed Friday:
- Julian Union Elementary School District
- Julian Union High School District
- Mountain Empire Unified School District
- Warner Unified School District
LA wildfires
The weather event that prompted the red flag warning for San Diego County was the same one that was causing widespread destruction in the form of several wildfires in the Los Angeles Area.
On Friday, at least five wildfires burning in the area had killed at least 6 people and injured several others. Thousands of homes had been destroyed as the firefight entered day 3.
A state of emergency remains in effect for Los Angeles city and county and both state and federal resources have been granted to aid in efforts to control the blazes.
When two major fires, the Palisades and Eaton fires, erupted on Tuesday, wind gusts were so strong overnight that firefighting aircraft had to be grounded. Adding to the challenging firefight were water pressure issues that caused several fire hydrants to stop functioning in the middle of the night.
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.
"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."
