Santa Ana Winds to Bring Critical Fire Conditions to Mountains Around Malibu

Santa Ana winds are forecast to bring gusts of up to 65 mph, single digit humidity and critical fire weather conditions later this week in the mountains around Malibu.

The northeast winds are expected to reach between 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 50 mph on Wednesday, and are forecast to peak late Thursday night and into Friday, when the gusts could reach up 65 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

A wind advisory was issued Wednesday for the Malibu area.

The winds and expected single digit humidity will prompt a fire weather watch from Thursday evening to Friday night in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, which is above Malibu.

The humidity is expected to reach 10 to 20 percent Thursday night, lowering to 5 to 10 percent on Friday afternoon and evening.

The Santa Anas could make driving difficult through Kanan Dume Road and other canyon roads in Malibu. 

"Strong winds could knock down trees and possibly produce property damage," forecasters warned.

The conditions could prompt a red flag warning, according to the NWS.

Malibu Patch will be monitoring weather conditions and will provide updates throughout the week as they become available.