Red Flag
updated: May 23, 2012, 7:53 AM

By Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Managment

--------------------------------------------------------- Red Flag Warning --------------------------------------------------------- URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOS ANGELES/OXNARD CA 225 PM PDT TUE MAY 22 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM PDT THURSDAY FOR THE COMBINATION OF GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES FOR THE SANTA BARBARA SOUTH COAST AND MOUNTAINS...

.A TIGHTENING NORTHERLY GRADIENT ACROSS SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WILL BRING STRONG NORTH WINDS ACROSS THE AREA THROUGH EARLY THURSDAY MORNING. CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS WILL DEVELOP ACROSS SOUTHERN SANTA BARBARA COUNTY THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING AS GUSTY NORTH WINDS COMBINE WITH THE DRY AIR MASS IN PLACE. NEAR CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE INTERSTATE 5 CORRIDOR AND ACROSS THE ANTELOPE VALLEY THROUGH THURSDAY AS WELL.

CAZ239-252-231700- /O.NEW.KLOX.FW.W.0004.120522T2125Z-120524T1300Z/ SANTA BARBARA COUNTY SOUTH COAST- SANTA BARBARA COUNTY MOUNTAINS / LOS PADRES NATIONAL FOREST- 225 PM PDT TUE MAY 22 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM PDT THURSDAY FOR THE COMBINATION OF GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES FOR THE SANTA BARBARA SOUTH COAST AND MOUNTAINS...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LOS ANGELES/OXNARD HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG WARNING FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES. THIS WARNING IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM PDT THURSDAY.

* TIMING...GUSTY NORTH WINDS WILL COMBINE WITH A DRY AIR MASS IN PLACE TO CREATE CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ACROSS THE SANTA BARBARA SOUTH COAST AND MOUNTAINS FROM LATE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING. CONDITIONS WILL MODERATE SOME BETWEEN LATE WEDNESDAY MORNING AND EARLY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...BUT GUSTY NORTH WINDS WILL STRENGTHEN ONCE AGAIN AND HUMIDITIES WILL DIP AGAIN BY WEDNESDAY EVENING...AND PERSIST INTO THURSDAY MORNING.

* WINDS...NORTH WINDS 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS TO BETWEEN 50 AND 60 MPH WILL DEVELOP THROUGH AND BELOW THE PASSES AND CANYONS OF THE SANTA YNEZ RANGE THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING. WINDS GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH WILL LIKELY OCCUR EACH EVENING IN THE MONTECITO AREA. THE WINDS WILL WEAKEN SOME DURING THE LATE MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON HOURS...BUT WILL REDEVELOP BY THE LATE AFTERNOON HOURS.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...RELATIVE HUMDITIES WILL FALL TO BETWEEN 15 AND 25 PERCENT IN THE HILLS BETWEEN LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS EVENING. HUMIDITY RECOVERIES WILL REMAIN POOR ON WEDNESDAY...AROUND 35 PERCENT DURING THE LATE MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON HOURS. ISOLATED SINGLE DIGIT HUMDITIES ARE POSSIBLE IN MORE FAVORABLE FOOTHILL LOCATIONS THROUGH THURSDAY.

* IMPACTS...IF FIRE IGNITION OCCURS ACROSS THE WARNING AREA...THERE COULD BE A RAPID SPREAD OF WILDFIRE THAT WOULD LEAD TO A THREAT OF LIFE AND PROPERTY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EITHER OCCURRING NOW...OR WILL SHORTLY. A COMBINATION OF STRONG WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AND WARM TEMPERATURES WILL CREATE EXTREME FIRE BEHAVIOR.

PLEASE ADVISE THE APPROPRIATE OFFICIALS OR FIRE CREWS IN THE FIELD OF THIS RED FLAG WARNING.

&&

HALL/KITTELL

--------------------------------------- High Wind Warning --------------------------------------- URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOS ANGELES/OXNARD CA 548 PM PDT TUE MAY 22 2012

...STRONG NORTHWEST TO NORTH WINDS ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST CALIFORNIA THROUGH THURSDAY...

.NORTHWEST WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE ACROSS MUCH OF SOUTHWEST CALIFORNIA THROUGH THIS EVENING...WITH FURTHER STRENGTHENING LATER ON WEDNESDAY...BEFORE GRADUALLY WEAKENING THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL BE ACROSS THE INTERSTATE 5 CORRIDOR... ANTELOPE VALLEY AND THE SANTA YNEZ RANGE WHERE POTENTIALLY DAMAGING GUSTS OVER 60 MPH ARE EXPECTED. SOME OF THESE WINDS WILL IMPACTED THE CENTRAL COAST...SANTA YNEZ VALLEY...AND THE SANTA CLARITA VALLEY DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. SOME ADVISORIES MAY NEED TO BE ADDED FOR THURSDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH FRIDAY AS THE WINDS SLOWLY WEAKEN.

CAZ052-230900- /O.EXP.KLOX.WI.Y.0045.000000T0000Z-120523T0100Z/ /O.CON.KLOX.HW.W.0009.120523T0100Z-120524T1300Z/ SANTA BARBARA COUNTY MOUNTAINS- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...SAN MARCOS PASS... SAN RAFAEL WILDERNESS AREA...DICK SMITH WILDERNESS AREA 548 PM PDT TUE MAY 22 2012

...HIGH WIND WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM PDT THURSDAY... ...WIND ADVISORY WILL EXPIRE AT 6 PM PDT THIS EVENING...

* WINDS...NORTH WINDS 25 TO 40 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 65 MPH EACH NIGHT...OTHERWISE 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 50 MPH.

* TIMING...WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE EACH EVENING THEN CONTINUE THROUGH THE NIGHT...WITH WEAKER WINDS DURING THE LATE MORNING AND AFTERNOON HOURS. THE STRONGEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED WEDNESDAY EVENING.

* IMPACTS...WINDS THIS STRONG CAN DOWN POWERLINES...TREES...AND LARGE SIGNS. THESE WINDS WILL ALSO CREATE POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS...ESPECIALLY ON HIGHWAYS 101 AND 154... INCLUDING THE SAN MARCOS PASS. TRAVELING WILL BE ESPECIALLY DIFFICULT FOR THOSE DRIVING HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A HIGH WIND WARNING MEANS A HAZARDOUS HIGH WIND EVENT IS EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. SUSTAINED WIND SPEEDS OF AT LEAST 40 MPH OR GUSTS OF 58 MPH OR MORE CAN LEAD TO PROPERTY DAMAGE.

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