The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for Ventura and Los Angeles counties that will be in effect starting at midnight on Sunday, Oct. 25, and will go until 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 27.

Strong Santa Ana winds are expected to pick up late Sunday night and continue through Monday.

The weather service notes that this will be the “strongest and most widespread Santa Ana event we have seen so far this season.”

Both counties can expect high-speed winds of around 50-80mph in some areas, along with relative low humidity which is expected to potentially fall as low as 3%.

With the high winds and low humidity, there is an increased risk of fires starting and spreading rapidly. The weather service has advised all residents to “use extreme caution with potential fire ignition sources. Residents are urged to assemble their emergency supply kit and know your evacuation route.”

Officials recommend that an emergency supply kit consists of the following: water, food, flashlight, first aid kit, extra batteries, local maps and a cell phone with a charger and backup battery. FEMA has also published a checklist of recommended emergency supplies.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, the CDC has recommended that residents include supplies in their emergency kit to help protect them from and help stop the spread of COVID-19. New items to include are: face masks, soap, hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes.

As the weather service announced the red flag warnings, Southern California Edison announced there is currently a Public Safety Power Shutoff considered for parts of six counties which would affect over 56,000 customers, including almost 10,000 in Ventura County.

The new red flag warning comes as California is facing its largest fire season in modern history. As of Oct. 25, Cal Fire has recorded over 4.3 million acres have burned from over 8,600 fires.

All Ventura County residents are highly encouraged by Ventura County officials to register with VC Alert to receive emergency notifications if a fire starts.