On December 10th, residents of the coastal city of Malibu in Southern California evacuated as a wildfire rapidly spread in the early hours before dawn, leading to a complete power outage. The National Weather Service had issued a red warning for the coastal areas of Malibu the previous day and had closed a highway.
From San Luis Obispo to Palm Springs and San Diego, the National Weather Service issued red flag warnings and monitored fire weather conditions in most parts of California, starting from Sunday and expected to last until Wednesday afternoon, with wind speeds reaching up to 80 miles per hour deemed “especially dangerous.” Energy providers are considering large-scale public safety power shutoffs to reduce the risk of fire ignition.
Southern California Edison (SCE), providing energy to over 15 million people in the region, may need to implement power shutoffs for approximately 250,000 households during the storm, including 68,000 in Ventura County, 43,000 in Los Angeles County, 10,000 in Orange County, 64,000 in Riverside County, nearly 62,000 in San Bernardino County, and 3,800 in Kern County, all at risk of power outage.
“We understand that each power outage poses challenges for customers,” said SCE spokesperson Gabriella Ornelas to Dajiyuan on Monday. “We will work to limit the power outages to areas with the strongest winds and restore services quickly in safe conditions.” The company advises local customers to secure loose items or anything that strong winds could potentially lift and damage power infrastructure.
Officials closed Topanga Canyon Road between Malibu and Santa Monica on the 9th. The volunteer organization Topanga Coalition for Emergency Preparedness stated that local residents will be the only drivers allowed to use the road from Monday noon to Wednesday afternoon.
Forecasters predict that the Santa Ana winds will sweep through Southern California, bringing extremely dry weather to the San Gabriel Mountains, Santa Monica Mountains, Santa Clarita Valley, Ventura County coastal and valleys, and the West San Fernando Valley.
Since November 6th, Ventura County has been plagued by devastating wildfires that have consumed approximately 243 structures, leaving many residents displaced.
Meteorologist Adam Roser from the National Weather Service in San Diego stated that Riverside County, San Bernardino County, and parts of San Diego County are under red flag warnings. Forecasters estimate wind speeds in the region to reach 35 to 50 miles per hour, with potentially even higher speeds of up to 60 miles per hour in the Banning Pass and Cajon Pass.
Meteorologists also warned of hazardous driving conditions due to the weather and urged extra caution to avoid any potential fire hazards.