Santa Ana winds, dangerous fire weather conditions return to SoCal

SoCal hit with high winds, red flag warning

Southern California was hit with gusty winds, raising the concern of fire danger.

LOS ANGELES - Santa Ana winds are expected to sweep Southern California this week, bringing dangerous fire weather conditions to much of the region.

The strongest winds are expected across Los Angeles and Ventura counties beginning Sunday evening and lasting through Monday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.

"Northeasterly winds gusting 55-80 MPH in the mountains and 35-55 MPH across the valleys are expected at the peak of the Santa Ana event," forecasters said.

"With the strong winds, relative humidity will drop into the teens and low 20s. The strong winds and low humidity will combine with critically dry fuels to bring widespread critical fire weather conditions to many areas of Ventura and Los Angeles counties, resulting in Red Flag Warnings. If a fire starts, there will likely be rapid fire growth."

Strong advisory-level winds are forecast across the western San Fernando Valley, Simi Valley, the Santa Clarita Valley, and Hwy 14 corridor, parts of the Conejo Valley, and the Santa Monica Mountains.

According to the NWS, winds are expected to settle down Monday afternoon into Tuesday.