A dangerously windy start to 2025 may be in store for the Santa Monica area.
The National Weather Service has issued both a High Wind Warning and Red Flag Warning for Santa Monica from Tuesday at 4 p.m. through Wednesday at 6 p.m. The current NWS forecast states that winds could gust as high as 50 mph Tuesday evening, and as high as 45 mph throughout Wednesday.
The strong Santa Ana wind event has many areas of Los Angeles County under high wind warnings Tuesday through Wednesday, with gusts that could reach 80 mph in some areas. Another area under warnings is Malibu, with the city under NWS Los Angeles’ locations of greatest concern.
Along with the high winds, NWS warns that there is a high risk for dangerous fire conditions, just weeks after the Franklin Fire hit the Malibu community. Dropping humidity levels increase wildfire risk in Malibu and other parched areas, forecasters warned. The Franklin Fire damaged or destroyed 48 structures around the Malibu area, one of nearly 8,000 wildfires in the state in 2024.
“Residents across Southern California are urged to remain vigilant and monitor the latest forecasts … trees, large tree branches, and power lines may be downed by the wind,” NWS wrote, adding that residents should be prepared for a potential fire evacuation event.
Offshore winds will diminish by Wednesday evening, but will still remain at strong advisory levels. Aside from Malibu, other locations of greatest concern include Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Burbank and Pasadena.
