Southern California Red Flag Warning: What This Week's Santa Ana Winds Mean

Southern California Red Flag Warning: What This Week's Santa Ana Winds Mean

Updated: October 15, 2026

The first Santa Ana wind event of the season is under way in Southern California. The National Weather Service has issued Red Flag Warnings for parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, with the strongest winds expected Thursday and peaking Friday, and gusts up to 70 mph in the mountains. Forecasters said the dry, gusty air will erase whatever benefit the recent rain brought to the vegetation. Two fires on Wednesday, one in Brentwood and one in Fontana, gave an early look at how quickly the conditions can change.

What the Warning Covers

Different zones started at different times: the Malibu coast and Santa Monica Mountains were placed under a warning on Wednesday morning, while other parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties followed on Thursday morning. The warnings run through 10 p.m. Friday, and a separate Fire Weather Watch is set for Friday from 3 a.m. to 6 p.m. Alerts also reach the San Fernando Valley, the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains, the Inland Empire, and Orange County.

• Gusts: 40 to 50 mph across much of the region, isolated gusts near 60 mph in coastal hills, and up to 70 mph in the mountains
• Timing: winds ramp up Thursday morning, stay strong Friday, and ease Friday evening
• Power: Southern California Edison warned it could shut off power in some areas, including parts of Malibu, as a Public Safety Power Shutoff

The Los Angeles County warning tells residents to prepare for power outages, cell service disruptions, traffic signal outages, and possible evacuations, and to watch for downed trees and power lines.

Dry vegetation, low humidity, and strong offshore wind are the combination that triggers a Red Flag Warning.

Two Fires Already, Both Stopped

The Brentwood fire was reported at 2:48 a.m. Wednesday near Vandergrift Avenue and MacArthur Boulevard, close to the VA West Los Angeles campus. Los Angeles firefighters, working from the ground with air support, stopped its forward progress in about an hour at roughly 1.5 acres. No structures were threatened and no injuries were reported.

The Fontana fire was larger and messier. It started around 7:30 a.m. in a pile of scrap metal at a recycling facility on Slover Avenue, and wind of about 25 mph pushed it toward neighboring businesses. The San Bernardino County Fire Department went to a second alarm, several roads were closed, and crews worried the pile could hold hazardous materials such as gas cylinders. No evacuations or injuries were reported, and by late morning firefighters were getting the upper hand. The cause of both fires has not been announced.

Red Flag Warning vs. Fire Weather Watch

The two terms are easy to mix up, and they mean different things about timing:

• A Fire Weather Watch is the earlier heads-up. It means conditions that favor extreme fire behavior are possible in the coming one to three days, but not certain yet.
• A Red Flag Warning means those conditions are happening now or about to happen: low humidity, strong wind, and dry fuel together. It is a forecast of fire risk, not a report that a fire exists.
• A watch can be upgraded to a warning as the forecast firms up, and the Weather Service has used an enhanced "extreme" or Particularly Dangerous Situation version since 2019 for the worst setups. We covered one in our report on the Old Trails Fire in Spokane.

During a warning, fire agencies typically add staffing and pre-position engines and crews in the areas most likely to burn, and many jurisdictions restrict outdoor burning and open flames.

How to Prepare

• Avoid anything that could spark a fire: outdoor burning, mowing dry grass, and parking hot vehicles on dry vegetation
• Have an evacuation plan and a go-bag ready, and know two ways out of your neighborhood
• Charge phones and power banks, in case of a power shutoff
• Check your local alerts, and follow the National Weather Service and your county's emergency pages for changes to the warning
• Follow our live wildfire map for active incidents, and treat any new smoke column as urgent in these conditions

Fast air and ground response stopped the Brentwood brush fire in about an hour, before the winds arrived.

Bottom Line

Parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties are under Red Flag Warnings until 10 p.m. Friday, with the strongest Santa Ana winds on Friday and gusts up to 70 mph in the mountains. Brentwood and Fontana were stopped quickly, but they came before the peak of the wind event. If the warning is extended or a larger fire starts, we will update this page.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Red Flag Warning?

It is a National Weather Service alert that critical fire weather, meaning strong wind, low humidity, and dry vegetation, is occurring or about to occur, so any fire that starts could spread rapidly.

What is the difference between a Fire Weather Watch and a Red Flag Warning?

A watch means dangerous fire weather is possible in the next one to three days. A warning means the conditions are happening now or are imminent.

When does the Southern California Red Flag Warning end?

Warnings for parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties run through 10 p.m. Friday, October 16, with the strongest winds expected Friday, though forecasters can extend a warning if conditions persist.

What are Santa Ana winds?

They are warm, dry offshore winds that flow from the interior toward the Southern California coast, heating up and drying out as they descend through mountain passes, which makes vegetation burn more easily.

Could my power be shut off?

Possibly. Southern California Edison warned it may use Public Safety Power Shutoffs in high-risk areas, such as parts of Malibu, to reduce the chance that wind-damaged power lines start a fire.