A Wind Advisory has been issued for Santa Barbara County’s South Coast and mountain areas, with forecasters calling for gusty sundowner conditions and increased fire danger.

The advisory from the National Weather Service in Oxnard goes into effect at 4 p.m. Friday and extends until 3 a.m. Sunday.

North to northwest winds of 15-30 mph are expected Friday afternoon and evening, with gusts to 45 mph.

Winds are expected to increase to 20-35 mph on Saturday with gusts to 50 mph.

Friday’s blustery conditions are expected mainly in the western portions of the forecast area along the Gaviota Coast.

By Saturday afternoon and evening, the winds should be more widespread.

Daytime highs both days should be in the mid- to upper-80s along the coast, and in the 90s inland.

Overnight lows are expected in the upper-50s.

The Santa Barbara County Fire Department announced it was increasing staffing beginning at noon on Friday.

The department will keep one hand crew on duty around the clock, and add a second crew. It also will increase staffing for water tenders, and stage resources at Station 18 in Gaviota, where some of the heaviest winds are expected.

Southern California Edison said that it may implement a public safety power shutoff for some South Coast areas Friday and Saturday due to the forecasted winds and high temperatures, but had not announced one as of Friday morning.  

Click here for the latest forecast from the National Weather Service.

— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.