SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) -- As the latest round of Santa Ana winds hits the region and more Red Flag Warnings were put in place for thousands of residents, most of San Diego County and Southern California have slipped back into drought conditions. The start to 2025 has been historic for Southern California, with wildfires causing widespread devastation throughout Los Angeles and no measurable rainfall in recent months causing the driest start to the water year in San Diego’s recorded weather history. Red Flag Warning issued for San Diego County amid more Santa Ana winds; thousands could have power shut off To cap it all off, San Diego County is now under severe drought conditions. U.S. Drought Monitor data shows most of San Diego County was experiencing severe drought conditions the week of Jan. 9, 2025. This is compared to the week of Dec. 31, 2024, when Southern California was under moderate drought conditions. 24 dead as fire crews try to corral Los Angeles blazes before winds return this week Flash back to October 2024 and before when the region was not experiencing any drought conditions, as you can see in the maps provided by U.S. Drought Monitor below: Drought status in California the week of Jan. 7, 2025 (Credit: U.S. Drought Monitor)Drought status in California the week of Dec. 31, 2024 (Credit: U.S. Drought Monitor)Drought status in California the week of Oct. 8, 2024 (Credit: U.S. Drought Monitor)Drought status in California the week of Jan. 9, 2024 (Credit: U.S. Drought Monitor)U.S. Drought Monitor intensity data (U.S. Drought Monitor droughtmonitor.unl.edu) In addition to the drought conditions, a new round of Santa Anas are forecast to cause gusty winds and critical fire weather conditions through Wednesday. A majority of Southern California is under a new Red Flag Warning this week as the weather conditions exacerbate the risk for wildfires to spread rapidly. Southern California is facing critical fire weather through Wednesday (Photo: Cal Fire / National Weather Service) Don't expect those dry conditions to change any time soon as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting below average rainfall for the Southern California region through the month of January 2025. NWS: Driest start to rainfall, water year in San Diego’s recorded weather history  The National Weather Service says San Diego County is currently experiencing the driest start to the water year in the past 174 years. NOAA Monthly Precipitation Outlook for January 2025 (Credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) NOAA 6-10 Day Precipitation Outlook (Credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) A look back: The worst fires in San Diego history — how do they compare to LA? While these factors are combining to create potentially dangerous conditions, it is important to note there have been no major wildfires in San Diego County in recent years since the 2007 Witch Creek-Guejito Fires. At the same time, although San Diego County is under drought conditions, the San Diego County Water Authority said earlier this year the county’s water supply was enough to meet the region's needs through 2024, and possibly longer, thanks to recent wet winters. California’s groundwater supply received big boost from ’23 water year This comes after California's historic 2023 rainy season boosted the state's groundwater supply.