A red flag warning for critical fire danger, due to strong winds and low humidity, will remain in effect until 6 p.m. Wednesday for the County mountains and inland valleys.

San Diego County, which is in the midst of one of the driest periods on record, will be lashed by unusually cold and expansive Santa Ana winds early Wednesday that could spark wildfires, snap

San Diego County has slipped back into severe drought conditions, with a new round of Santa Ana winds and critical fire weather conditions exacerbating the risk for wildfires to spread rapidly.

The red-flag warning extended Wednesday for the county’s inland valleys still is set to expire at 6 p.m. Friday, with overnight northeast winds of 28 to 38 mph and possible gusts of 50 mph, up to 60 mph after midnight.

Jan. 16 A new wildfire was reported today at 5:42 p.m. in San Diego County. Red Fire has been burning on federal land managed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Currently, there is no data indicating the containment progress of the fire and its cause remains undetermined.

Wind gusts have peaked for the most part here in San Diego County, but dry and breezy afternoon conditions will keep the Red Flag Warning in place for valleys and mountains until 6 p.m. Wednesday.