Santa Ana winds put Southland on fire weather watch

A perfect storm of high-powered winds and excessively dry weather have heightened fire danger concerns for local weather experts. 

The first Santa Ana wind event of the season is set to descend upon the area Monday, bringing winds that could reach gusts up to 75 miles per hour along with it. 

A Red Flag Fire Warning was issued for Ventura and Los Angeles County for Wednesday due to the combination of factors, and is set to go into effect at 7 a.m. Wednesday. 

The winds, which will be fueled by the high pressure building into the Great Basin, will begin to pick up late Tuesday. 

The Los Angeles County Mountains, Santa Monica Mountains, Santa Clarita and San Fernando Valleys as well as the Malibu coast are expected to be affected.

According to a report from the National Weather Service, some gusts of wind could reach between 55 and 75 miles per hour in the LA County Mountains. The cold weather will also bring lower humidity levels, which could be conducive to fire conditions. 

Much of the same is expected throughout the Southland, where winds up to 60 miles per hour could be seen in the valleys and along the coasts, where humidity levels will sit between 8% and 15%. 

"If fire ignition occurs there could be rapid spread of wildfire that would lead to a threat to life and property," said National Weather Service on Monday.