What you need to know: Ahead of extreme fire weather conditions forecasted in several Southern California counties beginning Tuesday, Governor Newsom has directed state departments to coordinate and strategically position fire engines, handcrews, aircraft and additional support in key areas.

Sacramento - With dangerous winds and extreme fire weather forecasted through Thursday in Southern California, Governor Gavin Newsom announced the state is deploying resources to protect California communities. 

Specifically, Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, as well as other parts of Southern California, are expected to experience a “life-threatening and destructive” windstorm, as well as extreme fire risk from Tuesday morning through Thursday due to high winds and low humidity.

The state is taking early, proactive steps to coordinate with local partners to protect communities as dangerous weather enters our state. We are no strangers to winter-time wildfire threats, so I ask all Californians to pay attention to local authorities and be prepared to evacuate if told to go. - Governor Gavin Newsom

Governor Newsom has directed state departments to coordinate and  strategically position fire engines, handcrews, aircraft and additional support in key areas, including: 

• Prepositioning 65 local government fire engines, 7 water tenders, 7 helicopters, 9 dozers and more than 105 specialized personnel in Los Angeles, Riverside, Orange, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties through the state’s Fire and Rescue Mutual Aid System managed by Cal OES.
• Strategically moving CAL FIRE firefighting resources from Northern California into Southern California, including 45 additional fire engines and six additional hand crews to Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties. 
• Staffing additional aerial firefighting resources in the region.
• Augmenting regional intelligence, dispatch and investigative resources.
• Coordinating with local fire departments, county emergency managers and weather officials ahead of this extreme weather event, while increasing public messaging to encourage overall community preparedness. 

The National Weather Service said Ventura and Los Angeles Counties will experience winds above 60 mph, with isolated gusts up to 100 mph in a “life-threatening, destructive windstorm” beginning at 10 a.m. Tuesday, including areas of Los Angeles not typically affected by high winds. 

The National Weather Service’s Los Angeles Office says high winds are expected in the San Gabriel, Santa Susana and Santa Monica mountains and foothills, as well as the San Gabriel and San Fernando Valleys, likely leading to power outages, downed trees and difficult travel, especially for high-profile vehicles.

Wildfire quick tips

• Sign up for free emergency alerts at ready.ca.gov: You can choose how to get alerts sent to you when you sign up, including cell phone, home phone, email, text messages, and in some cases, TTY devices. 
• Make a plan: Wildfires may cause power outages, so have backup plans for electrical medical devices and medicines that must be refrigerated and have a battery-powered radio so you can hear emergency updates.
• Don’t wait, evacuate: Listen and watch for evacuation warnings and orders. An evacuation warning means get ready to leave. An evacuation order means leave immediately. 

Wind safety quick tips

• Watch out for downed power lines: Never touch or drive over a fallen power line. If a power line falls on your vehicle, call 911 and stay inside until trained personnel can remove it.
• Stay inside: If you are outside during high winds, find shelter immediately. Stay away from trees and power lines, and watch for flying debris.
• Slow down: Keep a safe distance from vehicles in lanes next to you and watch for objects blowing across the road.

For more emergency preparedness tips and to learn more about active emergencies, visit ready.ca.gov.