Power was shut off as a precautionary measure in some wind-prone areas of Southern California as the first significant Santa Ana winds of the season descended on the region.
Southern California Edison said the utility was reaching out to customers and public safety agencies about the possibility of Public Safety Power Shutoffs. The planned shutoffs allow power to be cut in areas where strong winds could damage electrical lines and spark fast-moving wildfires.
According to SCE, roughly 177,000 of the utility's 5 million customers were being notified that they are within areas that could potentially be impacted by the power cuts. SCE's website showed precautionary Public Safety Power Shutoffs were in effect for about 2,100 customers early Monday.
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Shutoffs also were being considered for about 27,000 customers in Riverside County, 28,200 customers in San Bernardino County and 43,700 customers in Ventura County.
Red flag warnings will be in effect through Monday evening for parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties due to powerful wind gusts and low humidity levels. A fire weather watch was issued earlier, alerting agencies to the potential for a red flag event, indicating extreme fire danger and rapid rates of spread.
"This is a DANGEROUS situation," the National Weather Service said. "Residents in high fire danger areas should PREPARE NOW if called to evacuate."
Santa Ana winds occur in the fall and continue through winter, contributing to some of the region's worst wildfires. The strongest winds arrive Sunday, when gusts of 40 to 50 mph are possible in the Cajon Pass and along the Ventura County coast.
"By the time we get into Sunday morning, 10 a.m., we've got our classic Santa Ana wind here," said NBC4 forecaster David Biggar. "We'll continue to see these winds throughout the entire day for Sunday.
"By 6 p.m., it is still very gust across the Inland Empire. We'll start to see the wind gusts let up just a touch by Monday."
To the north, a large swath of California from the Bay Area to Redding and Fortuna counties is under a more severe red flag warning. The red flag warning is in effect through Sunday, particularly for high elevation areas of the North Bay, East Bay and Santa Cruz Mountains, where wind gusts will range from 45 mph to upwards of 50 mph.
Calmer conditions are in the Halloween Tuesday forecast.
