Fire Weather Watch Issued For Victor Valley and Johnson Valley

Staff Writer

Sunday, August 14th, 2016

The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a Fire Weather watch that will remain in effect from Monday afternoon through Wednesday evening. The Fire Weather watch will affect areas including the mountain ridges, the desert slopes and along the desert foothill areas. These areas are more commonly known as the Victor Valley (Adelanto, Apple Valley, Hesperia, and Victorville) and Johnson Valley (including Lucerne Valley). Residents of the listed communities are warned that if a fire starts the likelihood of fast spread is high.

The NWS issued the warning due to the predicted low humidity and strong winds expected during the week. The southwest to west winds are expected to be 15-25 miles per hour with gusts up to 25 miles per hour, NWS officials said. The winds are supposed to strengthen on Tuesday and Wednesday to southwest to west winds of 25-30 miles per hour with gusts to 45 miles per hour— with the highest being late in the day or overnight according to the NWS watch.

Humidity is expected to be unusually low during the daytime with only 5 to 15 percent — with the lowest being in the afternoon. Overnight the humidity is expected to remain lower than usual. “A Fire Weather Watch means that critical fire weather conditions are forecast to occur,” NWS officials said in the release.

In order to prevent out of control, possibly devastating fires, outdoor burning should be avoided. These conditions are expected to improve Wednesday night as cooler weather and higher humidity move into the area.

For late-breaking news, follow 24/7 Headline News on our Facebook group and Facebook Fan Page. Also, follow 24/7 Headline News on Twitter!