In this file photo, palm trees sway and a flag flutters in gusty winds in Fontana as Santa Ana winds move into Southern California. (Credit: Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

Southern California Edison said it could shut off power for about 12,000 customers in San Bernardino, Riverside, Kern, Inyo and Mono counties as forecasters warned of critical fire weather that’s expected later this week.

The move, aimed at preventing wildfires, could affect the following areas, the utility’s website said on Monday:

Riverside County (about 110 customers) unincorporated communities including Whitewater and Bonnie Bell

San Bernardino County (about 6 customers) Big Bear incorporated communities including Doble and Upper Holcomb Valley

Kern County (about 1,240 customers) unincorporated areas including Kernville, Wofford Heights, Lake Isabella, Camp Owens

Inyo County (about 6 customers) unincorporated areas near Bishop including the community of Round Valley

Mono County (about 10,600 customers) unincorporated areas near Bishop including the community of Paradise and portion of Swall Meadows unincorporated areas including Mammoth Lakes, Mammoth Lakes-Trails, June Lake Village and Loop, Crestview, Mono Lake, Mono City, North Conway, Willow Springs, Bridgeport



Forecasters say Southern California will have several days of Santa Ana winds this week and that could create critical fire weather conditions.

The National Weather Service says Santa Anas will develop by early Thursday and continue through Friday, bringing warming and very dry conditions back to the region.

The northeast winds are expected to be moderate to locally strong across Ventura and Los Angeles counties but weaker in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.

In the inland region, moderate-strength Santa Anas are expected Thursday, with weakening on Friday and becoming localized on Saturday.

The winds will cause humidity to plummet in inland areas later in the week, which will allow any fires that do ignite to spread quickly, according to NWS.

The forecast calls for onshore flow to return to the area Sunday with noticeable cooling.

In a decision described as unprecedented, Pacific Gas & Electric warned that it could cut off electricity for nearly 30 counties in Northern and Central California.

Gusty #SantaAnaWinds are expected late Wed night-Fri eve over LA/Ventura counties, bringing the potential for critical fire weather danger. A Fire Weather Watch will be in effect from 3am Thu to 8pm Fri for most of LA/VTA counties. #SoCal #CAwx #BePrepared pic.twitter.com/MbjhEDP3GV — NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) October 7, 2019

Upcoming Santa Ana's will cause humidity to plummet Thu-Fri, bringing single digit RH to all but the immediate coast. Overnight Thu, RH will peak at ~10-20% in many inland areas. Winds & the poor RH recovery could sustain rapid fire growth if ignition occurs. 🔥 Be prepared! pic.twitter.com/BLFTMiCmsT — NWS San Diego (@NWSSanDiego) October 8, 2019

Strong Santa Ana winds may develop over Southern CA later this week, raising the threat for quickly spreading wildfires.https://t.co/gPPHvxaET0 pic.twitter.com/efIE7b1MlB — National Weather Service (@NWS) October 7, 2019