High winds in south and western Santa Barbara County are kicking off a week of dry weather.
The National Weather Service in Oxnard issued a high-wind warning Monday that goes into effect at 3 p.m. and ends at 3 a.m. on Tuesday.
A wind advisory was in effect until the warning started.
In the mountainous areas of the county including the Santa Ynez range, winds are expected to blow between 25 and 40 mph, with gusts hitting 65 mph in the evening.
Passes and canyons, including the San Marcos Pass, will see the strongest winds, the forecast said.
According to the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management, those speeds are strong enough to down power lines and trees, and make driving difficult, especially for long or tall vehicles.
“The strong winds will likely impact travel across portions of highways 101 and 154,” the office said in a statement.
Tom Fisher, a NWS meteorologist, said that the winds are driven by a cold, dry front coming from the north.
During winter, these cold fronts bring precipitation and then wind, but as spring rolls around, Fisher said, the fronts lose their moisture but retain their wind.
The windy conditions begin a week of sunny weather.
Highs for the rest of the week in and around Santa Barbara are forecasted to run between the high-60s and mid-70s, with lows in the 50s.
A full weather forecast can be found here.
— Noozhawk staff writer Sam Goldman can be reached at sgoldman@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.