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Southern California in ‘uncharted territory’ as fire weather returns all next week – Jobsmaa.com

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Another round of wildfire weather will linger in Southern California for much of next week, which could bring new dangers as Pacific Palisades, Altadena and surrounding communities struggle to assess the damage. Devastating forest fires earlier this month,

“The bottom line is this: We're in uncharted territory until the winter or monsoon season,” said Alex Tardy, a metrologist at the National Weather Service office in San Diego.

After mostly calm winds over the weekend, fire weather is expected to return Monday, with the peak threat coming Tuesday but likely lasting into Thursday, forecasters said. Red flag fire weather warnings are expected in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, said Rose Schoenfeld, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Oxnard.

All of this fire weather comes amid an ongoing record-breaking drought. The last day downtown Los Angeles received a tenth of an inch of rain in a single day, May 5. Since May 6, there has not been a single day of less than a tenth of an inch of rain. Or more, 257 days and counting.

That's a record for downtown — the last time Downtown LA went without at least one-tenth of an inch of rain was 253 consecutive days, from February 25, 2008, to November 3, 2008.

Across Southern California, it was the driest start to a water year on record. During the three-and-a-half-month period that began Oct. 1, Los Angeles International Airport, UCLA, Van Nuys, Woodland Hills and Camarillo were among the driest.

For downtown LA, only 0.16 inches of rain has fallen since the water year began on October 1. Downtown LA averaged 5.78 inches of annual rainfall for the same period since October 1, which is only Downtown LA received. The city receives an average of 3% rainfall at this time of the water year.

Severe drought, coupled with week-to-week Santa Ana winds, is unusual.

Wind gusts of 30 mph to 50 mph are currently forecast for the Santa Ana wind corridors of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, with moderate Santa Ana winds Monday and Tuesday.

Peak winds on Monday and Tuesday could reach 32 mph in Lancaster, 33 mph in Canoga Park, 39 mph in Oxnard and Beaumont, 44 mph in Pyramid Lake, 47 mph in Fillmore, 48 mph in Santa Clarita and 51 mph in Acton.

Santa Ana winds, which are expected to blow from the east to northeast, will “mainly affect northern and western parts of LA County and much of Ventura County,” Schoenfeld said. With gusts of 30 mph to 50 mph and 60 mph around the mountains, “this will give rapid fire growth inland with any new fire,” Schoenfeld said.

The air is also expected to be very dry. Tuesday's relative humidity will be as low as 5% in Thousand Oaks, Oxnard, Congo Park, Fillmore, Santa Clarita, Acton and Pyramid Lake. “This would give rapid fire growth locally with any new fire,” Schoenfeld said.

More clarity will come in the forecast in a couple of days.

The Palisades and Eden fires have burned more than 11,000 structures and killed at least 27 people. The Palisades Fire, which has burned 23,713 acres, was 43% contained as of Saturday morning, according to Cal Fire. The Eaton Fire, which has burned 14,117 acres, is 73% contained.

Meanwhile, the search for the people involved in the fire accident is going on.

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