Parts of Southern California are still facing "elevated to brief "critical conditions" into Thursday night as a fast-moving wildfire that forced thousands in Malibu to evacuate continues to grow.Threat level: Red Flag warnings ended as powerful Santa Ana winds eased on Wednesday afternoon,

Southern California is bracing for another round of strong, potentially dangerous Santa Ana winds just over a month after a similar wind event helped fuel the Mountain Fire, which scorched nearly 20,000 acres in Ventura County and sent residents scrambling for safety as flames closed in.

San Diego County edged closer to drought Tuesday, whipped by fierce and damaging Santa Ana winds that further dried out a region that hasn’t gotten a long, deep soaking of rain since March.

Power to tens of thousands of people had been shut off by Monday night as utilities worked to mitigate the impacts of Southern California’s notorious Santa Ana winds, whose strong gusts could damage electrical equipment and spark wildfires.

Santa Ana winds will bring the "highest possible" fire danger to the majority of Los Angeles and Ventura counties through Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.

Meanwhile, a "particularly dangerous situation" red flag warning is also in place from 10 p.m. Monday through 2 p.m. Tuesday in those same areas due to Santa Ana winds, low humidity and extremely dry vegetation.

A strong Santa Ana wind event is setting up across Southern California. A rare Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS) alert has been issued for Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

LOS ANGELES — Southern California's notorious Santa Ana winds were predicted to return Monday night and utilities said they are prepared to cut power to hundreds of thousands of customers in areas where strong gusts could damage electrical equipment and spark wildfires.

A strong Santa Ana wind event will bring extreme fire danger to Southern California this week. “A fire weather warning is pretty much in effect for all of us, especially as you’re up against the foothill areas,

The National Weather Service office in Los Angeles is warning that Santa Ana winds will bring the "highest possible" fire danger to the majority of Los Angeles and Ventura counties in Southern California.