Extreme fire danger as Santa Ana winds strike California

[ad_1]

The National Weather Service in Los Angeles is warning that today could be the strongest Santa Ana wind event since 2007 with the strongest winds expected in southern California and winds lingering into Thursday.

Interested in Weather?

Add Weather as an interest to stay up to date on the latest Weather news, video, and analysis from ABC News.

Take a look at all the wind warnings and advisories throughout the West, not just southern California, including Extreme Red Flag Warning for Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, where a combination of strong winds and relative humidity down to 1% will create extreme fire spread conditions.

Also, a High Winds Warning has been issued from Ventura to San Diego Counties where winds could gust near 80 mph.

PHOTO: An Extreme Red Flag Warning for Los Angeles and Ventura Counties where a combination of strong winds and relative humidity down to 1% will create extreme fire spread conditions. — An Extreme Red Flag Warning for Los Angeles and Ventura Counties where a combination of strong winds and relative humidity down to 1% will create extreme fire spread conditions.

Here are some of the wind gusts expected this morning and afternoon, locally near 80 mph are possible in the mountains.

PHOTO: Some of the wind gusts expected this morning and afternoon could be near 80 mph in the mountains. — Some of the wind gusts expected this morning and afternoon could be near 80 mph in the mountains.

The coldest air and the first snow of the season is moving through the heartland as 10 states from Colorado to Illinois are on alert for this wintry blast.

Numerous accidents were reported yesterday on the slick roads from the Rockies into the Great Lakes.

A new round of snow is moving East from the Rockies into the Midwest. Take a look at all the winter weather alerts:

PHOTO: A new round of snow is moving East from the Rockies into the Midwest. — A new round of snow is moving East from the Rockies into the Midwest.

Already, we have seen temperatures fall to almost -40 below zero in Utah this morning, where Salt Lake City tied its coldest October temperature ever recorded in Ocotber at 16 degrees.

Denver was only 18 degrees for the high yesterday which broke a record for the coldest high temperature for the day!

Denver had 6.6 inches of snow which breaks the daily record. Overall the city had almost a foot of snow for the month of October which nearly tripled their normal snowfall during the month, which is usually only 4 inches on average.

This new snowstorm will move east into the Midwest and the Great Lakes where Chicago could see its first snow of the season just in time for Halloween.

Take a look at the snowfall totals from Kansas to Michigan. Some areas could see up to a half foot of snow just west of Chicago and into southern Wisconsin.

PHOTO: Some areas could see up to a half foot of snow just west of Chicago and into southern Wisconsin. — Some areas could see up to a half foot of snow just west of Chicago and into southern Wisconsin.

Behind this latest snowstorm, very cold air will be moving into the central U.S. from the Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes and temperatures will be 20 to 40 degrees below for a third of the country.