Santa Ana winds peak today

THOUSAND PALMS, Calif. (KESQ) – We're tracking the peak of this Santa Ana wind event! While local impacts aren't as significant, you could still encounter some breezes throughout this afternoon.

Here's the setup typical of Santa Ana wind events. Winds are generated as air flows from high pressure inland to low pressure offshore, and the tighter that difference in pressure, the stronger the winds become. We see the tightest gradient Friday, translating to the strongest winds today, before beginning to ease throughout the weekend.

High winds are a concern for areas to our west. A High Wind Warning is in place for the Pass, our mountain slopes, and much of the Inland Empire. Gusts up to 65 MPH are possible. Notably, the Coachella Valley isn't included here, as our wind impacts appear to be far less significant. As these winds bring drier air to SoCal, several spots are seeing Fire Weather Warnings for heightened fire risk, too.

Gusts this morning are focused primarily outside of the valley and in our desert slopes.

Winds pick up on the valley floor as peak strength arrives this afternoon. It's not as bad as areas to our west, but keep gusts in the 20-30 MPH range in mind locally. If you're driving through the Pass, use caution!

Highs today hover near seasonal. We begin to mellow out Sunday with temperatures a couple of degrees below average. Further cooling is expected sometime next week as another low sweeps in; stay tuned to see if we see any rain or wind impacts from this system!

Have you downloaded the 'KESQ First Alert' app yet? It's FREE! Click here.

You'll stay up-to-date with the latest weather videos. In addition, be able to monitor the changing conditions from wherever you are!