California to Experience Break from High Winds that Worsened Fires

Southern California, after a few weeks of severe red-flag wind conditions, experience slightly cooler temperatures on Monday as powerful winds subside.

Patrick Burke, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's (NWS) Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland, told Reuters they had seen the end of the season.

"The winds have calmed down, and this is nothing but good news," Burke said.

The wildfire-ravaged California would remain to avoid high wind situations for early November, meteorologists said. Also, some rain will start reaching portions of the state later this month.

There is a possibility for changes in the jet stream pattern later during the second week of November that may persist for the rest of the month, meteorologists said.

Paul Pastelok, AccuWeather lead long-range meteorologist, said the jet stream is forecasted to move on the west-to-east direction from the Pacific Ocean to the interior western U.S. by mid-November,

"[The weather] should [increase] more [storm chances] to roll into the Northwest with some trailing cold fronts that can bring some rain to parts of Northern California," Pastelok said.

The cold front would bring enough storm drops far enough from Southern California to deliver thorough rain showers to portions of Northern California, the AccuWeather report said.

However, Senior Long-Range Meteorologist Jack Boston told AccuWeather that the chance of rain moving in through mid-November is unlikely in Southern California.

"But, if the pattern continues to [develop], some rain may reach the [Southern California] before [the end of the month]," Boston said.

Los Angeles and Orange counties will experience a cool cover of morning clouds with a high of 77. Temperatures will begin to rise up by Friday with highs in the mid-80s.

A daytime high of 82 or even cooler temperature is expected through Wednesday in the valleys and Inland Empire.

Subsided winds helped control the blaze in California

The winds subsided in mostly all parts of California, which helped the firefighters contain the blaze in various parts of the state. Forecasters, as early as October 31, expected at least a week of calm weather. 

However, Burke clarified that the weather remains to be "extremely dry to so more [fire] spreading is possible, but there are no elevated fire concerns."

According to the meteorologists, firefighters can get the upper hand in containing the existing fires with this reprieve from the high winds. Hopefully, the light winds will also allow them to limit the spread of any new fires that break out.

According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, the Kincade Fire in Sonoma County was 78 percent contained late on Sunday. The said fire which started on October 23 razed approximately 80,000 acres and burned down more than 370 structures.

On Thursday, October 31, the Maria Fire damaged two structures and also burned more than 9,400 acres.

Orders to evacuation were consequently lifted for Ventura County on Saturday after the fire department announced that about 20 percent of the fire was contained.

These devastating wildfires in California also occurred in history – and for the past two years, during fall season – has razed countless properties after being fueled by a combination of extreme winds, built-up brush, dry conditions.