A red flag warning for San Diego County expired Wednesday evening as Santa Ana winds diminished, although dry conditions could still create concern for wildfires in the days to come, forecasters said.
Several spot fires have sparked in San Diego County -- and were quickly halted by firefighters -- amid the red flag warning, which is issued when weather conditions are ripe for wildfires to spark and spread quickly. The warning for the mountains and valleys, as well as a wind advisory for the same areas, expired at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
The weather conditions prompted San Diego Gas & Electric to cut power to thousands of customers in order to prevent wildfires. Power was beginning to be restored on Wednesday, but 2,245 customers were still without power after the red flag warning expired.
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"Customers who continued to experience Santa Ana wind gusts during the day, will remain de-energized overnight as SDG&E crews wait for daybreak to safely patrol power lines and restore power," the utility said in a news release Wednesday evening.
With the NWS Red Flag Warning expiring today at 6 p.m., our crews will mobilize at sunrise to patrol power lines. Once deemed safe, we’ll restore remaining customers impacted by PSPS. Stay prepared, as high fire risk may return next week. Visit https://t.co/AGNv2ULrU8. pic.twitter.com/F8HV4i7cHt
— SDG&E (@SDGE) January 16, 2025
The latest Santa Ana wind event was less widespread than one last week that fueled several large wildfires in the Los Angeles area, but it still had the potential to create dangerous fire conditions and put residents on alert.
"This particular Santa Ana won't be as strong as last week's, and it's going to be a lot more focused on the higher elevations — the mountains, the foothills," NBC 7 meteorologist Greg Bledsoe said. "We will see those winds spill into the inland valleys from time to time."
The strongest wind gusts from Monday to Wednesday were recorded in the following areas:
- Sill Hill (SDGE) 74 MPH
- Pleasants Peak 66 MPH
- Fremont Canyon RAWS 65 MPH
- Arrowhead Springs 64 MPH
- Lytle Creek Ridge 63 MPH
- Banning 62 MPH
- Hauser Mountain 62 MPH
- Santiago Peak 62 MPH
- Boulder Creek (SDGE) 59 MPH
- Heaps Peak RAWS 59 MPH
- Lucky Five Ranch (SDGE) 59 MPH
- Crestwood (SDGE) 57 MPH
Winds were subsiding on Wednesday but could still reach 30-35 mph with some gusts in the 45-55 mph range in wind-prone areas like along Interstate 8 and in the valleys, NBC 7 meteorologist Brooke Martell said.
Humidity also remains at critically low levels across the county. San Diego County has seen the driest start to the water year, which starts in October, in recorded history, according to forecasters.
"As a reminder, even areas outside of the red flag warning are still prone to critical fire risk given how dry it is across the entire county," Martell said.
Mountain areas are expected to see sunny and clear conditions through the week, with small chances of rain, snow and partly cloudy conditions by the weekend, although the likelihood is slim, Martell said.
It is likely another moderate Santa Ana wind event will develop early next week, peaking Tuesday through Wednesday morning, meteorologists said.
Public Safety Power Shutoffs
Amid the gusty Santa Ana winds, San Diego Gas & Electric cut power to more than 5,600 customers in order to prevent energized powerlines from collapsing, which is one of the leading causes of wildfires in the United States.
By Wednesday morning, SDG&E began checking de-energized power lines before restoring power to about 3,000 customers. As of 6:30 p.m., 2,268 customers were still impacted, and SDG&E said in a news release that customers in some communities would remain without power overnight.
"Patrolling and inspecting power lines are the first steps in the restoration process after a PSPS," SDG&E said in a written statement. "Although inspections are underway, it can be difficult to predict how long an inspection may take, given the varied length of each power line, the terrain and whether aerial inspections are required. If damage is found, repairs must be made before power can be restored safely."
Nearly all customers had power restored by 11 a.m. Thursday. In all, about 54,000 customers were warned that they may be impacted by what SDG&E calls Public Safety Power Shutoffs.
“Yes, it’s an inconvenience definitely, but it’s a necessary inconvenience,” said Rusty Werntz a San Diego County resident who was not affected by the latest round of shutoff. He said, either way, he's prepared.
“On our property we have generators that are available to keep the refrigerator plus everything else, plus I have an assortment of LED lights and battery back ups and things like that that I can use, just for simple basic,” Werntz said.
Areas who were at one point without electricity include the East County communities of Lakeside, Santee, Alpine, Boulevard, Campo, Descanso, Julian and the tribal lands of the La Posta, Viejas and Campo reservations.
While many understand the power shutoffs are intended to reduce the fire risk, some said it has seriously impacted their loved ones.
“My grandma currently has COPD and is on 24/7 care of oxygen, so like when our generators don’t work or these things happen in the middle of the night, we’re forced to get up out of bed with flashlights, and try to get her connected, the kids situated, make sure our food is not going rotten, which has happened twice now,” Alyssa Ponce, a Guatay resident said.
“With no power, we can’t fill up 5-gallon water jugs. Most of us have wells. If a pump can’t run off energy, you can’t flush your toilet, you can’t take a shower, then you’re forced to go in the wind, on the freeway to go in search for things like water.”
Community Resource Centers have opened to assist affected communities. Centers have Wi-Fi available, with phone and medical device charging and will remain open for customers until conditions improve.
School closures
Due to the outages, some schools were closed Wednesday, including those in the Mountain Empire Unified School District and Lakeside Farms Elementary and DREAM Academy in Lakeside Union School District.
Wildfire preparedness
The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department advised San Diegans to do all they can to be fully prepared should any local wildfires erupt.
"It's not too late to create and practice an emergency plan," SDFD spokesperson Mónica Muñoz said. "Discuss the plan with all members of the household, and consider various evacuation routes."
Residents can sign up for emergency alerts online at readysandiego.org.
During the recent spate of Santa Ana conditions, which kicked in across Southern California shortly after the start of the new year, San Diego County has escaped the type of ferocious wildfires that have ravaged the Los Angeles area, killing at least two dozen people while blackening more than 40,000 acres and forcing about 150,000 people to evacuate.
"The fire service has a very robust mutual-aid system," Muñoz noted. "Each agency carefully considers how many resources they can send to assist (other communities)."
The SDFD has dispatched crews to Los Angeles to help fight the historic firestorms there, as well as perform hazardous-materials mitigation and aid in searches for missing people.
"We also sent incident-management-team specialists, chaplains ... and peer-support personnel," Muñoz said. "And while we will continue to provide mutual aid to our neighbors in L.A., please be assured all (San Diego) stations are fully staffed to handle calls for service here."