EAST WINDS TO BLOW IN FIRE DANGER TREES BECOMING DRY TINDER.

Byline: Daily News

SANTA CLARITA - Santa Ana winds are expected to kick up this afternoon, increasing already high fire danger in the Santa Clarita Valley.

The National Weather Service issued a fire-weather watch through Wednesday afternoon for the region, particularly for mountain divides in Santa Clarita, Soledad Canyon and the Santa Clara River Valley - the pass that runs from Valencia to the coast, where winds could gust up to 45 mph. The seasonal high winds, along with what the weather service termed very low humidity, spell prime fire conditions in the valley, where five years of below-average rainfall have left brush tinder-dry. Pines and some other trees in the Angeles National Forest and Castaic Lake Recreation Area have been weakened by the drought and left vulnerable to the Western bark beetle and other pests that cause further damage.

Diseased trees were blamed in part for the fires that swept through much of the Southland last year. Concern is mounting in the Angeles National Forest, where 34,000 acres in northern Los Angeles County already have burned this year. The blazes included the Foothill Fire in July that swept through to Placerita Canyon.

A high-pressure ridge is expected to build today, increasing Santa Ana winds that blow from the east. Winds are expected to gust at 25 mph to 35 mph in most areas, with 45 mph gusts in passes and canyons that run northeast to southwest.

Monday's balmy weather was expected to give way today to warmer temperatures, reaching the lower 90s and increasing slightly through the week.