A red-flag fire warning will be in effect through early Wednesday east of Interstate 15 in San Diego County, where Santa Ana winds will gust across land that’s slipping into drought, the National Weather Service said.
San Diego Gas & Electric has notified nearly 117,500 customers that it might have to temporarily turn off their power to reduce the chance of wildfires.
Most of the customers live in various parts of North County and East County, but some are located along the U.S.-Mexico border, from Imperial Beach and San Ysidro to eastern Chula Vista.
Moderate to strong Santa Ana winds are expected to begin popping through the mountains and inland valleys and foothills on Monday afternoon and will intensify into Tuesday.
Forecasters say winds could hit 63 mph in Campo and 56 mph in Escondido and Alpine. Driving could become dicey on Interstate 8 east of Alpine.
The relative humidity will drop below 20% on Monday afternoon and fall as low as 5% on Tuesday and Wednesday, forecasters said. Such conditions are conducive to the spread of wildfire.
Coastal areas also will experience low humidity, but it won’t be as bad as it will be in East County.
The Santa Anas will arrive from the east at a precarious moment. The county has received only a fraction of its seasonal rainfall. San Diego International Airport has been especially dry, recording only 0.13 inches of precipitation since Oct. 1. That’s about 1.50 inches below average.
Forecasters say the county is unlikely to receive appreciable rain through Dec. 15, and probably through Christmas.
California has received several rain events since early November, but the storms have largely remained in the northern part of the state. Forecast models suggest that the trend could last into January.
