What to Know
- A red flag warning and wind advisory will be in effect until at least 6 p.m. Wednesday for inland valleys and mountain areas
- San Diego Gas & Electric has begun public safety power shutoffs, affecting more than 5,600 customers
- School closures: Schools in the Mountain Empire Unified School District and Lakeside Farms Elementary and DREAM Academy in Lakeside Union School District will be closed Wednesday
- This is the driest start to a water year, which begins on Oct. 1, ever for Southern California
San Diego Gas & Electric began cutting power to thousands of customers Tuesday as gusty Santa Ana winds picked up, adding to dangerous wildfire weather conditions.
The shutoffs coincide with a red flag warning and wind advisory went into effect at 4 p.m. Monday and are slated to expire at 6 p.m. Wednesday for the inland valleys and mountain areas, according to the National Weather Service.
Santa Ana winds will continue through Wednesday, with strongest winds during the mornings (especially Tuesday). Very low humidity will continue (10-15%) with not much increase each night. Improving conditions will occur Thursday with west winds developing around midday. #CAwx pic.twitter.com/dhdpzVk2ux
— NWS San Diego (@NWSSanDiego) January 14, 2025
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A red flag warning is issued when low humidity and gusty winds are at levels that could easily spark and spread wildfires. Dry and windy conditions are forecast through mid-week in San Diego County.
Here's what to know:
Public Safety Power Shutoffs
More than 5,600 customers have had their power turned off to prevent energized powerlines from collapsing amid the gusty winds, which is one of the leading causes of wildfires in the United States. In all, up to 54,000 customers were warned that they may be impacted by what SDG&E calls Public Safety Power Shutoffs.
Areas 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.
There was no estimated restoration time but officials said that Emergency Operations Centers were monitoring the high winds and severe wildfire conditions around the clock and will continue to de-energize equipment for safety as conditions warrant.
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.
Due to the outages, some schools would be closed Wednesday, including those in the Mountain Empire Unified School District and Lakeside Farms Elementary and DREAM Academy in Lakeside Union School District.
Red Flag Warning
The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning through 6 p.m. Wednesday for the inland valleys and mountain areas, according to the National Weather Service.
During this time, daytime humidity will drop to or below 20% across the coast, valleys, and mountains, NBC 7 meteorologist Brooke Martell said. Northeasterly winds will generally be from 20-30 mph with gusts up to 55mph over our usual wind-prone areas (I-8 corridor and east of the I-15).
"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 NWS said the strongest winds are expected to hit during the mornings. Tuesday's strongest gusts were recorded in:
- SILL HILL: 74 MPH
- BUCKMAN: 64 MPH
- HAUSER MTN: 62 MPH
- MT LAGUNA: 61 MPH
- CRESTWOOD: 57 MPH
- PALOMAR MTN: 59 MPH
- BOULDER CREEK 59 MPH
- ALPINE: 56 MPH
- PORTRERO 54 MPH
Those areas are also experiencing extremely cold overnight lows. Morning temperatures on Tuesday were as low as:
- LAKESIDE: 28
- ENCINITAS: 29
- EL CAJON 30
- SANTEE: 31
- POWAY: 31
- SAN MARCOS: 33
- SOLANA BEACH 34
- MIRAMAR: 35
- CARLSBAD: 38
- SD AIRPORT: 39
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.
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," Munoz noted. "Each agency carefully considers how many resources they can send to assist (other communities)."
The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department 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," Munoz 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."