Santa Ana winds to return to San Diego County, elevating fire danger

Cooler conditions are expected for some parts of San Diego County this week, with moderate to strong winds to pick up in the mountain and valley areas until at least mid-week, forecasters said Sunday.

A red flag warning for dangerous fire conditions will be in effect from 10 a.m. Monday until at least 4 a.m. Wednesday due to strong Santa Ana winds and low humidity. Areas expected to be most affected are the inland valleys and mountains, according to the National Weather Service.

“Gusts 50 to 65 mph expected through favored passes and on mountain foothills, a few isolated gusts to 70 mph are possible Tuesday during the peak of the event in typically wind prone locations,” the NWS said.

The inland valley areas could see winds at 30-40 mph and gusts up to 60 mph Tuesday, with a mix of sunny and cloudy conditions and highs reaching the upper 70s. Mountain areas could also expect to see strong winds early in the week, with highs ranging in the low to upper 60s.

Coastal San Diego is expected to see patchy fog in the mornings through the week, with mostly partly cloudy conditions and highs in the mid- 60s.

Monday’s San Diego surf forecast includes a high-risk rip current, with surf height from 3 to 5 feet and mixed swell from 280 degrees and 220 degrees.

On Sunday, downtown San Diego experienced patchy fog before 10 a.m., with mostly sunny conditions and a high near 68. More patchy fog was expected after 10 p.m., with a low around 49.

Forecasters said marine conditions would include another round of low clouds and fog Sunday night into Monday, but should be less dense over the waters with better visibility and higher cloud bases.

“Increasing offshore winds on Tuesday with gusts up to 20-25kts, primarily for the northern San Diego County coast,” the NWS said.