As a heat wave rolls upon Santa Barbara County, a red flag warning has been issued for fire risk.
The national weather service issued the following warning:
“RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM TUESDAY TO 3 PM PDT FRIDAY FOR EXTREME HEAT AND INSTABILITY ALONG WITH LOCALLY GUSTY WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITIES FOR THE INTERIOR MOUNTAINS AND ADJACENT FOOTHILLS OF LOS ANGELES, VENTURA, SANTA BARBARA, AND SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTIES, AND CUYAMA VALLEY.”
This warning is joined by an extreme heat warning also issued by the National Weather Service.
The red flag warning area spans a large portion of the Los Padres National Forest with temperatures forecast to reach up to 108 degrees Fahrenheit.
Humidity will fall to around 10-20%, with the potential to drop as low as 8% on Thursday.
While Santa Barbara County is yet to see a large wildfire this summer, several have sparked recently.
The Carrizo fire charred over 250 acres in the Cuyama Valley on Saturday and the Drum Fire burnt over 40 acres south of Los Alamos.
The Drum Fire was 100% contained on Sunday, August 23.
While the primary focus of the warning is the more inland parts of the county, the south coast of Santa Barbara county will face some critical fire-risk conditions.
“The strongest Sundowner winds are expected Tuesday and Saturday evenings, with sustained winds of 15–30 mph and gusts of 30–45 mph,” Santa Barbara County Fire wrote in an Instagram post.
The county fire department advises residents to be prepared in the event of a fire breaking out and avoid using tools and machinery that could spark fires.
