Thousands of acres - SoCal fire weather event expands

Residents in southern California are enduring a record windstorm as dangerous Santa Ana gusts reach up to 100 mph. Wildfires have broken out due to the dry, gusty air sweeping the flames across thousands of acres.

All it takes is a spark, a match or a still-lit cigarette, etc., to start a wildfire, and the ones southern California residents are dealing with have exploded in the last day. The WindRadar shows the intense gusty Santa Ana winds that assisted in spreading the Palisades, Eaton, Woodley and the Hurst wildfires since Tuesday, January 7, 2024.

The situation remains as dangerous and life-threatening. Not only are the gusts helping spread wildfires, they are also knocking out power. Hundreds of thousands are without power in southern California due to the gusty winds and as a result of the fires as of Wednesday morning.

The Palisades Fire, the largest of the four, has spread to almost 3,000 acres with 0 percent containment as firefighters try to get ahold of the blaze. All of the Pacific Palisades neighborhoods were under a mandatory evacuation order as of Tuesday evening where almost 30,000 people live.

Extreme fire weather is forecast through the rest of Wednesday as gusts as high as 70 mph continue and dewpoints in the teens and 20s keep things very dry.