The National Weather Service issued red flag warnings until Friday morning for inland valleys and mountain areas.
"A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now, or will shortly," the NWS said.
A critical fire threat will continue across County as Santa Ana winds and dry conditions persist through early Friday, according to the National Weather Service.
POWAY, Calif. — As of Wednesday night, San Diego Gas and Electric’s public safety power shutoffs had impacted parts of Alpine, Descanso and Julian. The reason for these power shutoffs is to prevent wind-damaged power lines from potentially sparking fires. A Red Flag Warning remains in effect until Friday morning.
As wildfires continued to burn in Los Angeles, several new fires broke out in San Diego County, prompting evacuation orders and warnings.
Following weeks of critically bone-dry conditions, San Diego County could finally get a taste of rain over the weekend.
"If fire ignition occurs, conditions are favorable for very rapid fire spread and extreme fire behavior," the NWS warns.
A red flag warning was set to expire for San Diego County Wednesday as Santa Ana winds diminish, although dry conditions could still create concern for wildfires in the days to come, forecasters said.
NBC 7's Greg Bledsoe was forecasting that the winds would pick up Monday evening, then peak overnight into Tuesday morning, with isolated gusts possibly reaching 80 mph
Amid an extended red flag warning, a new fire exploded north of Castaic. Evacuations were ordered after 11 a.m. Wind gusts reached 31 mph Wednesday afternoon in the area and are expected to increase over the next several hours.
For the third day in a row this week, some schools are canceling classes due to strong winds and power outages.