Ventura County faces its first Santa Ana wind event of the season starting Thursday, Oct. 15, with a Red Flag Warning that raises wildfire risk across Camarillo, Moorpark and surrounding areas.

The National Weather Service issued the Red Flag Warning for valleys and coasts of Ventura and Los Angeles counties. It takes effect at 6 a.m. Thursday and runs through 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16. The warning upgrades fire weather watches already in place.

Southern California Edison is also monitoring 70 circuits across Ventura County for potential Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS), according to the Ventura County emergency services page. The period of concern begins at midnight Thursday and lasts through 6 p.m. Friday.

What to expect

Northeast-to-east winds of 20 to 30 mph are forecast for valley and coastal areas, with gusts of 40 to 50 mph. Isolated gusts of 50 to 60 mph are possible in the hills. In the mountains, gusts could reach 50 to 70 mph, according to the NWS.

Relative humidity is expected to drop to 5% to 15%, with poor overnight recovery. High temperatures will reach 85 to 95 degrees through Saturday.

NWS meteorologist Ryan Kittell told the Los Angeles Times that fire risk will be a major concern given the combination of wind, heat and dryness. "There's a high risk for any new fires to grow really fast," Kittell said.

The NWS warned that if fire ignition occurs, conditions favor extreme fire behavior that would threaten life and property.

Power shutoffs and preparation

No official list of which specific circuits in Camarillo or Moorpark are among the 70 being monitored was available as of Wednesday, Oct. 14. Residents can check SCE.com or the Ventura County Sheriff's Emergency Services Dashboard for circuit-level updates.

Ventura County Supervisor Jeff Gorell said on X that residents should stay alert, secure outdoor items, prepare for possible outages and review emergency plans.

Residents near wildland areas should be prepared to evacuate if a wildfire breaks out, the NWS warning states. Ventura County Fire Chief Dustin Gardner wrote in a January message to residents ahead of a previous Santa Ana event: "If you are told to evacuate, leave immediately."

Sign up for emergency alerts at vcalert.org. For real-time updates during the event, visit vcemergency.com.