By Mary O’KEEFE

A Red Flag Warning will be in effect from to 3 a.m. today to 6 p.m. on Friday, according to the National Weather Service.

The Red Flag Warning is for wind and low humidity in the hills and canyons of  San Gabriel Valley, said David Sweet, meteorologist with the National Weather Service, Oxnard.

“The strongest winds are [expected] for mid-morning on Thursday to mid-afternoon, “ he said.

Winds are expected to be sustained between 20 to 30 miles per hour with gusts up to  50 mph.  They will be slightly weaker on Friday.

“But it will still be pretty windy on Friday,” he said.

The northeast winds are considered Santa Ana winds, which are usually warm; however, temperatures are to be mild Thursday and Friday in the 80s. The humidity will be low.

Sweet added that the winds will bring a high fire danger with rapid growth a possibility.

The Red Flag Warning has prompted Southern California Edison to notify their customers of possible power outages. A notice was sent to customers to prepare for the possible power outage 48 hours prior to Thursday, then again 24 hours.

The power will be shut down if there is a public safety issue, said Mary Ann Milbourn, SCE spokesperson.

“It is all dependent on the weather,” she added.

SCE has their own meteorologist and 400 weather stations that feeds information on a more localized level, she added.

“We have linemen in the field monitoring the conditions,” Milbourn added.

Glendale Water and Power does not anticipate a power outage due to the Red Flag Warning. There are some transition lines that are managed by SCE that feed power to GWP that could be affected. If this happens GWP will notify affected customers and continue to inform them as the situation continues, according to a statement from GWP.

For any power related emergencies concerning GWP call (818) 548-2011. For power questions concerning SCE call (800) 611-1911.

  Mary Okeefe