Malibu fires fueled by “unusual, extreme” winds. How long will the dangerous situation last?
The Franklin Fire in Malibu was driven by dangerous winds, dry conditions and low humidity, which combined to cause the blaze to explode.
situation
Wind gusts of up to 65 mph were reported around the time of the fire. By about 3:30 a.m., the winds had weakened slightly, with gusts reaching 40 mph, National Weather Service meteorologist Todd Hall said.
Unlike the 2018 Woolsey Fire, dripping aircraft were able to fly overnight.
But Hall said patterns from past Santa Ana wind events “suggest that winds should pick up around dawn,” which occurs around 6:50 a.m.
The relative humidity in the fire area was below 5% Tuesday morning, making it very dry.
The National Weather Service issued a rare red flag warning of “particularly hazardous conditions” for Los Angeles and Ventura counties until 2 p.m. Tuesday.
The strong wind warning is expected to remain in effect until 1pm on Tuesday.
Regular red flag warnings are expected to remain in effect through Wednesday afternoon, meaning the National Weather Service has a high degree of confidence that hazardous fire conditions will exist.
Areas in the special danger situation include large areas of Ventura County such as Thousand Oaks, Ventura, Oxnard, Fillmore and Ojai, as well as Los Angeles County’s Malibu, Canoga Park, Santa Clara and Places like Rita and Acton.
The area is particularly dry. Since the start of the water year on October 1, only 0.14 inches of rain has fallen in downtown Los Angeles. That’s well below average for this time of the season, which has dropped 1.87 inches.
There is little hope for rain next week in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
“We don’t expect any significant rainfall in the Los Angeles area next week,” National Weather Service meteorologist Robbie Munro said. “We’re likely to stay dry.”
Tuesday forecast
- The Special Hazardous Situation Fire Warning is in effect until 2pm on Tuesday
- A red flag fire warning is in effect until Wednesday afternoon.
- The Franklin Fire has burned at least 1,800 acres.
- The eastern half of Malibu was ordered to evacuate, and other areas of the city were also under evacuation warnings. Firefighters said about 6,000 people live in the area ordered to evacuate, most of which has about 11,000 residents. About 2,000 buildings are affected by mandatory evacuation orders. Pepperdine University has asked people on campus to shelter in place.
Recorded gusts:
- Amazing Mountain Truck Trail – 93
- Palo Solar Truck Trail – 77
- Oakridge Field – 74
- Bonny Hill – 73
- Lime Kiln Ridge – 68
