A wind advisory was issued Saturday afternoon for much of Santa Barbara County, with gusty conditions increasing the potential for dangerous wildfires.
The advisory, calling for winds of 20 to 30 mph and gusts up to 55 mph, will be in effect from 5 p.m. Saturday until 3 a.m. Sunday, according to the National Weather Service in Oxnard.
Affected areas include the county’s South Coast communities, the Santa Ynez Mountains, and the San Rafael and Dick Smith wilderness areas inland.
“Driving high-profile vehicles could be dangerous,” said Kristen Stewart, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “There could be some elevated fire concerns as well.”
Saturday’s fire danger was considered high because of the heat and winds.
Capt. Daniel Bertucelli announced that the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, with support from the California Office of Emergency Services, prepositioned two county handcrews and two bulldozers from 3 p.m. Saturday until 8 a.m. Sunday because of the elevated fire danger and expected sundowner winds.
The high temperature on Saturday was 84 degrees.
The highs Sunday through Tuesday are expected in the low 80s before cooling off to the upper70s on Wednesday. Overnight lows should be in the mid-50s.
Click here for the latest forecast from the National Weather Service.
— Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina can be reached at jmolina@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
