Worsening wind forecast brings new L.A.-area fire risk beginning Monday: 'This is a time to act'

"This is now a strong Santa Ana wind event and extreme fire weather," said Rose Schoenfeld, meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Oxnard.

A red flag warning - indicating critical fire weather conditions and rapid fire spread with any new ignition - could go into effect for wide swaths of the counties of Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura starting at 10 a.m. Monday and continuing through 10 p.m. Tuesday.

With this being more of a traditional Santa Ana wind event, with winds coming out of the east to northeast, Ventura County will be an area of great concern.

In the mountains and foothills, sustained winds could be between 30 mph to 45 mph, with gusts as high as 60 mph to 80 mph. Gusts can become damaging at around 65 mph.

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