LOS ANGELES – Southern California’s infamous Santa Ana winds were forecast to return Monday evening, and utilities said they were prepared to cut power to hundreds of thousands of customers in areas where strong gusts could damage electrical equipment and spark wildfires.

The National Weather Service issued a rare “particularly hazardous situation” (PDS), a red flag warning, for Los Angeles and Ventura counties on Tuesday for high fire danger.

The last time PDS raised red flags was the first week of November, when strong, dry winds fueled the Mountain Fire that destroyed at least 240 structures, mostly homes, in Ventura County. Previously, there had been no PDS warning for the region since 2020.

“This event has the potential to be as strong as the Santa Ana event Nov. 5-6 that led to the Mountain Fire,” the Los Angeles weather service office said on social media Sunday.

Southern California Edison said it was considering targeted power shutoffs for more than 250,000 homes and businesses in seven counties starting Monday evening. Meanwhile, San Diego Gas & Electric said it has notified nearly 117,500 customers that they may temporarily lose service to reduce the risk of wildfires.

Santa Anas are dry, warm, gusty northeast winds that blow toward and offshore from the interior of Southern California. They typically occur in the fall months and continue through the winter and into early spring.

In Northern California, the likelihood of a “severe rain event” increased late this week in the San Francisco Bay Area, according to the weather service.