Fire Weather Watch
RED FLAG WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA
956 AM PDT TUE OCT 27 2009
...STRONG COLD FRONT MOVING ACROSS SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TODAY AND TONIGHT...
.LOWER DESERTS EXPECTED TO MEET RED FLAG CRITERIA BY MID MORNING
TODAY AND CONTINUE DRY AND VERY WINDY THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING WITH
SUSTAINED NORTHERLY WINDS AT OR ABOVE 25 MPH AND RELATIVE HUMIDITY
AT OR BELOW 15 PERCENT. THE UPPER DESERTS ARE NOT SO CLEAR CUT.
THE NORTHERLY FOOTHILL PORTION OF APPLE VALLEY...VICTOR
VALLEY...AND LUCERNE VALLEY MAY NOT DROP BELOW 15 PERCENT DUE TO
UPSLOPE FLOW...BUT THE EAST END...YUCCA VALLEY AND MORONGO VALLEY
WILL BE UNDER STRONG SUBSIDENCE DRYING FROM THE DOWNSLOPE FLOW
THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD. THE COLD FRONT PUSHING SOUTH OF SAN GABRIEL
AND SAN BERNARDINO MOUNTAINS LATE THIS EVENING WILL DRAG IN VERY
DRY AIR. RELATIVE HUMIDITY FORECAST TO DROP TO OR BELOW 15
PERCENT TONIGHT OVER INLAND EMPIRE...ORANGE COUNTY...SANTA ANA
MOUNTAINS ALONG WITH SUSTAINED NORTH TO NORTHEAST WINDS NEAR 25
MPH AND GUSTS 45 MPH. THESE CONDITIONS SPREADING SOUTHWARD ACROSS
WESTERN RIVERSIDE AND SAN DIEGO COUNTIES BY EARLY WEDNESDAY
MORNING AS COLD FRONT PUSHES FURTHER SOUTH. MOUNTAIN ZONES
EXPECTED TO DROP BELOW 15 PERCENT RELATIVE HUMIDITY JUST BEFORE
OR BY SUNRISE WEDNESDAY. A PROLONGED PERIOD OF VERY LOW RELATIVE
HUMIDITY IS LIKELY TO FOLLOW INTO FRIDAY WITH POOR TO LIMITED
OVERNIGHT RECOVERY...HOWEVER NORTHEAST WINDS SHOULD DIMINISH BELOW
SUSTAINED 25 MPH FOR MOST ZONES BY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON BUT GUSTS
ABOVE 35 MPH CONTINUING FOR WIND PRONE AREAS...THROUGH AND BELOW
PASSES AND CANYONS INTO EARLY THURSDAY AFTERNOON.