Exceptionally powerful, dry winds expected across Southern California this week are set to send wildfire risk skyrocketing in a region that’s endured more than eight months without significant rain.
Forecasters predict the strongest Santa Ana wind event of the season will start Tuesday and extend late into the week. As offshore winds race down local mountain ranges, they’ll bring gusts of up to 80 miles (129 kilometers) per hour to densely-populated communities in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, putting more than 4.5 million residents at risk, according to the US Storm Prediction Center. Downtown Los