Three wildfires broke out in quick succession overnight and into early Tuesday in northern San Diego County, California.
Southern California is facing fierce fires fueled by the Santa Ana winds, which threaten homes and put firefighters to the test.
There are no evacuation orders in place now for the Eaton and Sepulveda Fires in LA County, the Clay Fire in Riverside County or the Laguna Fire in Ventura County. Evacuation orders were in place for areas near the Laguna Fire but have since been changed to evacuation warnings, according to Cal Fire.
As wildfires continued to burn in Los Angeles, three fires broke out in San Diego County, prompting evacuation orders and warnings.
The Santa Ana winds are dry, powerful winds that blow down the mountains toward the Southern California coast. The region sees about 10 Santa Ana wind events a year on average, typically occurring from fall into January. When conditions are dry, as they are right now, these winds can become a severe fire hazard.
Meteorologists said there was a chance the winds would be as severe as those that fueled the Palisades and Eaton fires, but that different locations would likely be affected.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has deployed fire engines, water-dropping aircraft and hand crews across the region—to enable a rapid response if a new fire does break out, according to The Associated Press.
The Santa Anas are expected to be most powerful Monday night into Tuesday. Fire services across the region say they are ready.
SoCal water suppliers are upbeat about water being released in the pipeline from NorCal, in addition to a rain forecast
The incoming storms follow what has been an exceptionally dry January for the Bay Area, with the lack of rain having an impact on the region's water supply.
A warm, wet storm originating in Hawaii will be pulled north toward California bringing heavy rain and localized flood risk.
North Carolina is another state prone to hurricanes—and in fact Hurricane Helene last fall triggered a Biden administration recovery effort led by Deanne Criswell, the impeccably qualified and unanimously confirmed director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. There were no conditions attached, but here are two that would have been nice.