Meteorologist Samantha Davies

In Southern California and Western Arizona, the Santa Ana winds have made a comeback, and it will stay windy through the start of the weekend. An area of high pressure in the 4 corners region is creating a strong off shore flow. At times, winds could gust in excess of 80 mph. Here are some areas that will be impacted by the windy set-up and their winds forecasts through the weekend:

Los Angeles, CA: 35-45 mph, with peak gusts of 60 mph

Palm Springs, CA: 20-25 mph, peak gusts 40 mph

Santa Monica, CA: 35- 40 mph, peak gusts of 80 mph

San Diego, CA: 20-25 mph, peak gusts of 30 mph

Yuma, AZ: 25-35 mph, peak gusts 40 mph

Phoenix, AZ: 25-35 mph, peak gusts of 40 mph

Here are the big concerns with these strong winds:

Winds this strong will create hazardous travel conditions, especially in high profile vehicles.

Blowing dust and sand will reduce visibilities to less than a mile in the dessert areas.

There is a risk of fire danger for southeastern California, and extreme Western Arizona. Humidity over the next few days will be below 15%. The combination of northerly winds and very low humidity will result in hazardous fire conditions. Red Flag warnings are in effect for these areas.

The winds will lessen on Sunday, and the fire danger risk will go down. Expect a rapid return to an onshore flow, and by Monday a fairly deep marine layer will become reestablished. I'm also watching an area of low-pressure in the Gulf of Alaska. This could bring some much cooler temperatures on Monday and the chance of rain. The forecast models are showing some uncertainties, so I'll keep watching!