Chilly Santa Ana winds to whip through Southern California as 2019 begins

By Renee Duff, AccuWeather meteorologist

December 31, 2018, 2:52:56 AM EST

A disruptive wind event will unfold in Southern California early this week, with Pasadena’s Tournament of Roses at risk for blustery weather.

Gusts will be strong enough with this event to create difficult travel and a heightened risk of wildfires, tree damage and power outages.

New Year’s Eve and Day festivities may be disrupted as well.

The winds will arrive as a storm, known as an inside slider, dives southward across the interior West into Tuesday.

The storm will pack cold air and another round of snow for New Mexico, including Albuquerque.

A few showers could even dampen New Year’s celebrations in San Diego on Monday evening as the storm passes by.

However, the biggest story will be the winds, which will ramp up on Monday night and continue through Tuesday.

“This will be a moderate to strong Santa Ana wind event with gusts of 50-60 mph in the passes and canyons that are orientated northeast to southwest and 60-80 mph in the mountains,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski said.

Winds of this magnitude can topple trees and power lines, toss around loose outdoor decorations or furniture and turn them into dangerous projectiles.

High winds will also create difficult travel for drivers of high-profile vehicles.

“Drivers of these vehicles should use extreme caution or consider altering their travel times if their journey takes them through I-15's Cajon Pass,” Pydynowski said.

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“There is such a strong push of cold air with this event, so that can work to bring more wind to Southern California and to areas that typically do not get windy during Santa Ana wind events,” Pydynowski added.

This includes in Pasadena, where gusts to 40 mph are possible during the Rose Parade on New Year’s Day.

"These winds can cause some of the loose materials to fly off the floats," Pydynowski said.

The temperature will be in the middle 40s F when the parade begins at 8:00 a.m. PST Tuesday, but the winds will cause AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures to stay in the 30s and lower 40s for the first few hours, despite otherwise sunny weather.

Temperatures are forecast to eclipse the 50-degree Fahrenheit mark by the conclusion of the parade, so it will be a good idea for anyone attending to wear layers.

Temperatures will remain in the 50s for the Rose Bowl between Washington and Ohio State on Tuesday afternoon. Winds will remain strong enough to potentially impact the passing and kicking game.

Despite temperatures being around 10 degrees below average in Pasadena and elsewhere across Southern California on New Year’s Day, the gusty winds whipping through the area will create a heightened risk of wildfire spread should a spark ignite.

People should use extreme care when using fireworks and sparklers to ring in the new year.

Record-challenging lows will be possible across interior areas, with the risk of a frost or freeze, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski. This risk will be greatest on Tuesday night.

Protective measures should be taken for those growing tender vegetables or berries.

Download the free AccuWeather app to see how low temperatures will drop in your area and whether wind advisories are issued.

Breezy conditions can linger at midweek, but the overall trend for the second half of the week will be calmer and milder in Southern California.

However, AccuWeather meteorologists are monitoring the chance for rain and mountain snow to return to California during the first weekend of 2019.