ARID WINDS PUTTING FIRE CREWS ON ALERT.Byline: Nicholas Grudin Staff Writer SANTA CLARITA Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, - Gusty gust·y adj. gust·i·er, gust·i·est 1. Blowing in or marked by gusts: a gusty storm. 2. Characterized by sudden outbursts. , dry Santa Ana winds Santa Ana Winds may refer to: 1. Santa Ana wind, a local Southern California reference to Föhn winds, a meteorological phenomenon occurring as a layer of wind is forced over a mountain range -- drying the air -- which then passes over the crest and begins to move downslope -- prompted firefighters to bolster their presence Friday in Santa Clarita, hoping to avoid a repeat of the blazes that destroyed hundreds of thousands of wildland acres just weeks ago. Dry conditions are expected to continue through this morning as humidity levels have been as low as 10 percent and winds as fast as 50 mph, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Bill Hoffer ``This is going to be the story for all of Southern California,'' Hoffer said. ``It is Mother Nature stacking a bunch of high pressure up around the Great Basin, so we become lower pressure ... It's a constant battle of the atmosphere trying to balance itself out.'' The high and dry winds translate into extreme conditions for firefighters and the general public, Hoffer said. ``When pressure changes, you can notice it in every little living thing - even ants.'' The Los Angeles County Fire Department Not to be confused with Los Angeles Fire Department. The Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD), serves unincorporated parts of Los Angeles County, as well as 58 cities and towns that choose to have the county provide fire and EMS services, including the City of La beefed up forces in the regions where winds were the most severe Friday, adding two strike teams to its regular presence. Each team is composed of five engines and a captain, and they were stationed in Santa Clarita and the Agoura Hills area. ``We're on red-flag alert,'' said Dan Opbroek, a dispatcher Software that determines what pending tasks should be done next and assigns the available resources to accomplish it. It may execute other programs or generate a list for human operators to follow. See scheduler. for the Los Angeles County Fire Department. ``The humidity is down and the winds are up, which justifies us being on high fire danger.'' Although the recent wildfires left much of the region's dry brush burned, Opbroek said, ``There's still a lot of fuel out there.'' However, this spate of Santa Ana winds is relatively mild and the conditions could have been a lot worse, Hoffer said. ``We thought they'd be stronger, but it just didn't happen.'' Winds are expected to subside this afternoon, and the forecast is for temperatures about 70 degrees Fahrenheit, with partly cloudy skies through Thursday. Nighttime temperatures will be in the high 30s and low 40s. Nicholas Grudin, (661) 257-5255 nicholas.grudin(at)dailynews.com |
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