Strong Santa Ana winds will swirl around SoCal through the weekend, which has led weather officials to issue a Red Flag Warning.
According to the National Weather Service, the windiest conditions will be felt in Los Angeles and Ventura County valleys on Saturday.
Sustained wind speeds are expected to reach 40 to 60 miles per hour with gusts of up to 70 miles per hour, weather experts said.
“Expect winds to continue to increase through sunrise to the mid-morning hours, with damaging wind gusts [of up to] sixty miles per hour becoming more widespread,” NWS said. “There will likely be some gusts over seventy miles per hour in the windiest locations of the Los Angeles County mountains, the Santa Susana Mountains, and the western Santa Monica Mountains.”
As of 5:30 a.m. Saturday, NWS recorded the gustiest winds at the Magic Mountain Truck Trail (65 miles per hour); Boney Mountain (63 miles per hour); Deer Creek Canyon (62 miles per hour) and Cal State San Bernardino (61 miles per hour).
Video footage shows the blustery winds whipping across the San Fernando Valley, toppling everything from outdoor Christmas decorations to basketball hoops and parking lot signs.
Single digit humidities across the region increase the chance for wildfires, weather officials say, and a Red Flag Warning is in effect from Saturday morning through Sunday afternoon for most of L.A. and Ventura counties.
Residents in fire-prone areas are advised to be prepared in case of an evacuation and avoid any work that could create a spark.
“If fire ignition occurs, conditions may be favorable for extreme fire behavior which would threaten life and property,” weather officials said.
A High Wind Warning is also in effect for communities in the western San Gabriel Mountains until 3 p.m. Saturday.
The winds will taper off by Sunday evening and into Monday, paving the way for warm temperatures to start the week, NWS said.