Back-to-back Santa Ana wind storms will batter critically dry San Diego County – San Diego Union-Tribune

The first broad Santa Ana winds of fall will deliver a double whammy to critically dry San Diego County, briefly coming to life Monday before intensifying starting Tuesday evening, around the time of the polls in the presidential election, the National Weather Service says.

Winds are expected to result in fire warnings in some parts of the county through Sunday night, and may be followed by red flag warnings Tuesday evening and Wednesday.

The offshore winds pose a greater threat than usual as most of the county received little or no rain in October, further drying out chaparral vegetation, the most flammable vegetation type in the country. The relative humidity also drops below 20 percent in places, which makes the situation even worse.

Forecasters expect the first winds to come from the north on Sunday night and initially advance towards Los Angeles County and the Inland Empire.

The winds will expand Monday and be felt in places like Oceanside, Campo and along the Interstate 15 corridor. And it's possible they'll experience gusts of 30 to 40 mph on Interstate 8 east of Alpine.

The second round of winds will come from the northeast and follow a path that takes Santa Anas more directly through San Diego County. In the densely vegetated hinterland, gusts can reach speeds of 40 to 60 miles per hour.

But trouble can happen anywhere. On Thursday, wildfires broke out in the College Area and Talmadge neighborhoods of San Diego, prompting evacuations.