Red flag warning issued in Southern California due to high winds, brush fire danger

(LOS ANGELES) — Residents in Southern California have more than heavy traffic to contend with this Thanksgiving.

The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for parts of Los Angeles and Ventura Counties on Thursday that lasts until Friday morning, indicating critical fire weather conditions.

Wind gusts could approach 70 mph in some parts of Southern California, forecasts show. The dry wind, combined with the parched earth still reeling from a decades-long megadrought, could spread any fires that spark.

Temperatures are expected to reach 80 degrees in Los Angeles and Orange Counties, with the strong winds expected to pass through the canyons.

A high wind warning is also in effect for the hills east of Santa Barbara, including Burbank, Santa Clarita and Malibu.

The winds are leading to a high brush fire potential across the region, largely in part due to the direction of the wind. When the wind comes from the east, it is much drier than winds coming from the Pacific Ocean.

There are also scattered wind advisories for other portions of the southwest, with gusts expected to top 50 mph elsewhere throughout Southern California, as well as in Arizona and into western Texas.

Residents are urged to use caution with anything that can spark a wildfire. Power safety outages are possible in several regions, data from Southern California Edison shows.