8:24 a.m. PST November 25, 2019
Strong north winds gusting up to 50 mph in the Southern Sierras on Monday with humidity in the low teens has generated a Red Flag Warning for Owens Valley. The wind behind a cold front is expected to reach Bishop, California around 10 a.m. and then spread down to the rest of the valley by noon, continuing into the early evening before gusts decrease to less than 35 mph.
It will also be very windy in Northern California on Monday but no Red Flag Warnings have been issued for that part of the state as of 8:15 a.m. Monday.
The enhanced wildfire danger will be followed by a winter storm warning from late Tuesday afternoon through Friday morning. Significant snow accumulations are predicted for much of Inyo County, the southern Great Basin, and higher elevations of the Mojave Desert. Forecasters expect total snow accumulations of five to 10 inches in the Owens Valley and 12 to 36 inches in the mountains, with winds gusting up to 45 mph.
(Red Flag Warnings can be modified throughout the day as NWS offices around the country update and revise their weather forecasts.)
