Good afternoon.
Just wanted to provide a quick weather update (now that i am recovered from a fire assignment and some personal matters).
Anyways, it looks like SoCal is in line for another round of very hot and dry conditions this week. High pressure aloft will build over the area into early next week. As this occurs, temperatures will soar away from the coast with Tuesday likely the warmest day (with valley areas between 100 and 110 degrees). From Wednesday into the second half of next week, the high pressure will weaken and temperatures will trend downward, but will still be well above normal for early August.
The main concern with this upcoming heat will be the fact that there will be increasing northerly winds as well as very dry air moving into the area. Gusty north winds (gusting 30-45 MPH) will be possible from Sunday night through Tuesday morning across Santa Barbara county as well as the Interstate 5 Corridor. By Tuesday afternoon, the north winds will diminish and typical onshore winds will prevail. However, conditions will remain quite dry through Tuesday evening. Speaking of dry conditions, afternoon relative humidity is expected to drop into the single digits and low teens Sunday through Tuesday with little or no overnight recovery away from the coast. So, critical fire weather conditions will be possible Sunday evening through Tuesday evening and a FIRE WEATHER WATCH has been issued for the Santa Barbara county mountains and South Coast as well as the Ventura/LA mountains (especially thru the I-5 Corridor).
Another thing to note with this potential fire weather event is the fuels. The latest LFM products indicated fuel moisture is generally several weeks ahead of expected levels for early August. So, given the fuel conditions as well as the hot and dry weather, there will be the potential for significant plume-dominated fire behavior.
Stay safe (and hydrated) out there!!!
Wx_Guy