Red Flag Warnings and SCE Blackouts Possible

4PM TUESDAY UPDATE...RED FLAG WARNING OVER MOST OF LOS ANGELES AND VENTURA COUNTIES
FOR EARLY THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON DUE TO GUSTY SANTA
ANA WINDS AND VERY LOW HUMIDITY...

Red Flag Warnings are up for tomorrow night … and Southern California Edison now says it might black out Malibu … as the fall’s first big Santa Ana windstorm approaches.

At the least … we are getting critical fire weather conditions over the local area late tomorrow night through early Friday evening.

Wind gusts of 45 miles on the beaches … and 70 mph in the mountain canyons … are expected at the peak of this Santa Ana … Thursday afternoon and evening.

It won’t be very hot as Santa Anas go … but it will be bone dry.

Critical fire weather conditions are likely.

A decision on if this watch should be upgraded to a Red Flag Warning will be made today or tomorrow.

Late Tuesday … Southern California Edison added Malibu Park to the area covered with potential blackout warnings.

Santa Monica Malibu school officials say SCE gave them a 72 hour warning prior to a public safety power shutoff.

The power company is not releasing what the thresholds will be for them to say “the winds are too strong for us to guarantee safe and reliable service.”

As of last night … the power blackout warning area had moved closer to Malibu.  And Malibu Park was added to the list Tuesday afternoon.

Lancaster

Palmdale

San Fernando

Santa Clarita

Fillmore.

SCE now has alerted 32,362 customers in LA and Ventura counties to be ready for the lights to go out … as early as Wednesday night.

But so far … not Malibu.

In northern California … 600 thousand people have been warned by Pacific Gas and Electric that it might preemptively cut power.

The Bay Area … the Mendocino coast … the Sierra foothills …  29 of the state’s 58 counties under blackout warnings.

This is unprecedented in scope … and the blacked out area could grow as forecasts come into focus.

Malibu probably will not get blacked out by this storm … but it is reasonably expected that the local power company will issue warnings that we could see blackouts.