Forecasters warned Southern California could see a “life-threatening, destructive” windstorm this week, as powerful gusts and dropped humidity levels raise the risk for wildfires in parched areas still recovering from a recent destructive blaze.
Gusts could reach 80 mph (129 kph) across much of Los Angeles and Ventura counties as winds intensify Tuesday into Wednesday, the National Weather Service said Monday. Isolated gusts could top 100 mph (160 kph) in mountains and foothills.
“Scattered downed trees and power outages are likely, in addition to rapid fire growth and extreme behavior with any fire starts,” the weather service office for Los Angeles said on X. “Areas not typically windy will be impacted.”
The weather service warned of downed trees, knocked over big rigs and motorhomes, dangerous conditions off the coasts of LA and Orange County, and potential delays at local airports. Public safety power shutoffs are being considered for nearly 300,000 customers across region, according to Southern California Edison's website.
Areas where gusts blowing across tinder-dry vegetation could create "extreme fire conditions” include the charred footprint of last month's wind-driven Franklin Fire, which damaged or destroyed 48 structures, mostly homes, in and around Malibu.
The blaze was one of nearly 8,000 wildfires that scorched more than 1 million acres (more than 404,600 hectares) in the Golden State last year.
Recent dry winds, including the notorious Santa Anas, have contributed to warmer-than-average temperatures in Southern California, where there's been very little rain so far this season. Meanwhile, up north, there have been multiple drenching storms.
The “extreme precipitation disparity” between the northern and southern parts of the state is expected to persist throughout the winter, according to Daniel Swain, a climate scientist with the University of California, Los Angeles and the National Center for Atmospheric Research.
The Northern California weather systems “have been relatively warm storms, too, maintaining overall warmer than average temperatures across nearly all of California in recent weeks,” Swain wrote Saturday in an update on his website.
Southern California hasn't seen more than 0.1 inches (0.25 centimeters) of rain since early May. Much of the region has fallen into moderate drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
The upcoming winds will act as an “atmospheric blow dryer” for vegetation, bringing a long period of fire risk that could extend into the more populated lower hills and valleys, Swain said during a Monday livestream.
Portions of San Diego County have seen the driest start to the season — and driest nine-month period overall — in over 150 years, Swain wrote.
FILE - Flags fly under heavy winds before sunset as a plume of smoke from the Franklin Fire rises over the ocean Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes,File)
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Self-exiled Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González, who claims to have defeated President Nicolás Maduro in last year’s presidential election, said his son-in-law was kidnapped Tuesday in Venezuela's capital.
González, who was traveling in the United States, said Rafael Tudares was kidnapped while on his way to drop off González’s two grandchildren at school in Caracas.
In a post on X, González said “hooded men, dressed in black” intercepted the vehicle and loaded Tudares “into a gold-colored van.” He did not say what happened to his 6- and 7-year-old grandchildren.
The kidnapping happened despite a significant increase in police and military presence since New Year’s Day across Caracas ahead of Friday's swearing-in ceremony for Maduro, who the government says won a third term in the July election.
The government’s centralized press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
González, a retired diplomat, represented Venezuela’s Unitary Platform opposition coalition in the presidential election, which he and Maduro both claim to have won. The platform in a statement characterized Tudares' kidnapping as a “forced disappearance for political reasons.”
“We demand the immediate release of Rafael Tudares and all political prisoners, who are hostages of a regime that knows it is rejected by the vast majority of Venezuelans who spoke with the force of the vote (on July 28),” the coalition said in the statement.
González left Venezuela for exile in Spain in September after a judge issued a warrant for his arrest in connection with an election-related investigation. In recent weeks, he has vowed to return to his homeland to take the oath of office.
González, 75, is touring the Americas to try to rally support for his effort to get Maduro out of office by Friday. That's when, by law, the South American country’s next presidential term begins. On Monday, González met with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House as well as with U.S. Rep. Mike Waltz, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s designate to be his national security adviser once he is sworn in on Jan. 20.
González, who has been recognized by several governments including the U.S. as Venezuela's president-elect, has not explained how he plans to return to the troubled country or wrest power from Maduro, whose ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela controls all aspects of government.
González had never run for office before July. The Unitary Platform coalition selected him in April as a last-minute stand-in for opposition powerhouse Maria Corina Machado, who was blocked by the Maduro-controlled Supreme Tribunal of Justice from running for any office.
Machado last week urged supporters to demonstrate across Venezuela on Thursday, telling them in a video message that Maduro will not step down on his own and they “must make him leave.”
Meanwhile, Maduro has asked his supporters to demonstrate Friday.
But it is unclear whether anyone will heed calls to head to the streets with the increased security presence.
On Tuesday, despite being the first day of school after the holidays, children were nowhere to be seen during morning rush hour in Caracas, and some schools remained closed.
“There is tension. As soon as night falls, the city is like a ghost town," Caracas resident Mari Jimenez said. “We do not feel confident seeing so many police.”
Kidnappings were commonplace in Venezuela at the end of last and beginning of this century, when criminals targeted the wealthy and a thriving middle class. But that type of crime decreased in recent years, as the country’s economy came undone and Venezuelans began to emigrate.
Recently, people have associated kidnappings with the government practice of detaining its real or perceived opponents without following the law. They are seen as part of a campaign to repress anti-government protests that broke out after the election results were announced.
Electoral authorities in July declared Maduro the winner hours after polls closed, but unlike in previous presidential elections, they did not provide detailed vote counts. However, the opposition collected tally sheets from more than 80% of the nation’s electronic voting machines, posted them online and said they showed González had won the election with twice as many votes as Maduro.
The U.S.-based Carter Center, which Maduro’s government invited to observe the presidential election, has said the tally sheets published by the opposition are legitimate.
Hours after announcing his son-in-law's kidnapping, González announced he was continuing his multi-country tour with a visit to Panama. “On the way to Panama! We continue,” he posted on X.
Bolivarian Militia members leave the 4F Military Museum for a gathering of security forces at Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, ahead of the presidential inauguration. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Edmundo Gonzalez, who represented Venezuela's main opposition coalition in the July presidential election, addresses a gathering of supporters outside of the Organization of American States, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
