Edhat Staff
Update by the edhat staff
September 9, 2024
The Red Flag Warning for the coastal areas and western Santa Ynez Mountain Range scheduled to expire last night September 8, has been extended until tonight, September 9, at 11:00 p.m. Community members are urged to avoid hazardous activities that may cause sparks or start a wildfire.
Due to the dangerous fire conditions, Southern California Edison (SCE) conducted a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) Saturday night (Sep. 7) in the Refugio/Alisal Fire burn area west of Goleta. Power was shut off at 10:00 p.m. on September 7 to nearly 200 customers (the Mist Circuit) and restored just before 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 8. The area remains a point of concern through Thursday, September 12, and may experience another PSPS at any time. Those who live and work in this area should be prepared for potential interruptions of service.
This is the only area being considered for a PSPS in Santa Barbara County at this time.
An SCE Community Resource Center (CRC) was open yesterday, September 8, at the Residence Inn at 6350 Hollister Avenue in Goleta and will be open again through Thursday, September 12 from 4:00 – 10:00 p.m. This is a place where people affected by a PSPS can go to charge their devices and get information.
Learn more about SCE’s Public Safety Power Shutoffs here. Check the outage status here.
For the latest information from Santa Barbara County go to ReadySBC.org.
NWS Issues Red Flag Warning Through Saturday
By the edhat staff
September 5, 2024
The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a Red Flag Warning for parts of Santa Barbara County due to strong sundowner winds, low humidity, and high temperatures. This Warning is effective Thursday afternoon through Saturday for extreme heat and dry conditions with locally gusty winds.
The chance for Red Flag conditions and durations has increased to 80 percent over the areas of most concern, including southern Santa Barbara County, the Santa Monica Mountains, and the Santa Susana Mountains.
For the rest of the mountains and foothills, while winds will limit the potential for classic red flag criteria, there is a history of large fires with similar weather conditions during this time of the year, especially considering the plume dominated fire potential, reports NWS.
The warning will remain in effect until 10:00 p.m. Saturday over the southern Santa Barbara County foothills and mountains.
Northerly winds of 15-25 mph with gusts up to 40 mph strongest in the overnight are expected. Gusty and erratic winds are possible with any new fires.
Maximum temperatures between 98 and 108 degrees are common in the foothills and mountains, with minimums between 80 and 90.
A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now, or will shortly. Use extreme caution with anything that can spark a wildfire. Residents near wildland interfaces should be prepared to evacuate if a wildfire breaks out. See readyforwildfire.org and wildfirerisk.org for information.
Detailed weather forecasts are available at https://www.weather.gov/lox/
Dayum, I am shocked! The NWS failed us.
At least I believe in and can partake of siestas. But sheesh, it was HOT!!
Search https://www.wunderground.com/wundermap to see real-time temps from various local, backyard weather stations. Even if you don’t believe one, you will get an overview. Like my neighborhood today, with highs of 103 to 108. Dayum!!!
Even with AC my place’s thermostat reading was 80 until close to midnight. Thank goodness for fans.
I and others around me have an SCE maintenace outage tomorrow for a pole replacement. I sure hope they’re done by 3, as they say. It won’t be a pleasant day.
It will be much worse for the workers.
Rubiyait, were you warm today?!
2 hours ago it was 104 at La Cumbre Plaza. Been a while since I’ve seen it that hot in town.
116 in Santa Ynez right now.
108 in Buelton right now and only 83 in Lompoc.
My recent comments to out of state family/ some local detail:
Tuesday Sept. 3
“We’ll be okay. Check out the chart at the beginning of this article: https://www.noozhawk.com/heatwave-hitting-santa-barbara-county-starting-wednesday/
[this noozhawk article has SB highs at 82 — Ha Ha! Even if they use airport temps. Shame on NWS and their news outlets.]
“OTOH, NWS is probably using airport temps!
NWS says SBAirport high of 82 NWS says 93105 high of 89
[I’m in 93105, was checking the forecast.]
Wed. Sept. 4 7:30 p.m.
“It’s frigging weird weather. At 6 a.m. the fog was so thick the tree tops were hidden. Forecast is 85 – 89 from Hope school to Ontare. In the 80s in the 6 o’clock hour.”
Then 108 reading at the Ontare weather station on Thursday, 103 next to Hope School. It’s frigging hot! We in a San Roque neighborhood have a planned power outage today, Friday, for a pole replacement. Seems to be around Grove X Foxen? The timing sucks. But it’s “only” 8:30 til 3 p.m. Fans will go on immediately when they’re done!
Stay safe and hydrated and wet, y’all.
Please put out dishes of water for birds and wildlife if you have space or a yard. Thanks!
I use temps on Wundermap as a general picture. It’s scary to see 90 – 102 degree temps at 2 a.m in Mission Canyon to Park Lane in Montecito, regardless of how accurate or inaccurate the thermometers are.
Can’t imagine living there without extreme fear and anxiety every night every summer through fall…
And they owe mitigation efforts to the entire community.
For some context: I’m hyper-sensitive.
I have a slight memory of my parents loading us up in the VW bus while ash fell and we were headed to Arroyo Burro beach. I think we stayed home, I can’t remember. I was a toddler.
I’m old now and I’ve always had a very strong fear of Fall season. It was fully instilled in the horror of the Painted Cave fire, which started where I used to live, deep in the hills.
https://www.independent.com/2009/09/30/coyote-fire-sept-22-oct-1-1964/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Fire
I was unclear. The slight memory is from the Coyote Fire.
Ray Ford: https://www.noozhawk.com/remembering_the_coyote_fire_20201003/
Don’t buy/build in a fire zone if you are afraid of fire.
Did you have a point to make?
We have turned practically the entire state into a fire zone.