Santa Ana winds, red flag warning in SoCal as thousands face power outages

More than 10,000 Southern California Edison customers faced power shutoffs Friday as strong winds, dry conditions and warmer temperatures brought increased wildfire risks with a red flag warning issued.

Strong gusty winds were forecasted in the Inland Empire, and nearly 120,000 of the utility's customers in Riverside, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Ventura and Orange counties were warned that power could be shut off for public safety.

At 4 p.m., there were about 10,180 SoCal Edison customers in LA, Riverside and San Bernardino counties facing shutoffs due to heightened wildfire risks. A red flag warning will be in effect from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, while a wind advisory will remain in effect until 6 a.m. Saturday.

Gusts between 30 and 40 mph are possible in windier areas. For possibly up to six hours in the afternoon, a few areas will have combined sustained (northerly) winds of 25 mph and gusts of 35-plus when humidity will be less than 15%, according to the National Weather Service.

"Especially given the dry (vegetation), there will be elevated to critical fire weather conditions, from the San Bernardino Mountains southwest through the Inland Empire and to the Santa Ana Mountains," the NWS stated.

Other areas that may face an SCE power shutoff include Los Angeles County, 20,883 customers; San Bernardino County, 48,964; Riverside County, 27,762; Orange County, 7,785 customers and Ventura County, 14,090 customers.