A red flag warning was set to expire for San Diego County Wednesday as Santa Ana winds diminish, although dry conditions could still create concern for wildfires in the days to come, forecasters said. Several spot fires have sparked in San Diego County — and were quickly halted by firefighters — amid the red flag warning, which is issued when weather conditions are ripe for wildfires to spark and spread quickly. The warning for the mountains and valleys, as well as a wind advisory for the same areas, was expected to expire at 6 p.m. Wednesday. The weather conditions also prompted San Diego Gas & Electric to cut power to thousands of customers in order to prevent wildfires. Power was beginning to be restored on Wednesday. weather Aug 3, 2023 What is a red flag warning? Santa Ana Jan 7 Why do California's Santa Ana winds heighten wildfire danger? Here’s what to know: Santa Ana winds subside The latest Santa Ana wind event was less widespread than one last week that fueled several large wildfires in the Los Angeles area, but it still had the potential to create dangerous fire conditions and put residents on alert. “This particular Santa Ana won’t be as strong as last week’s, and it’s going to be a lot more focused on the higher elevations — the mountains, the foothills,” NBC 7 meteorologist Greg Bledsoe said. “We will see those winds spill into the inland valleys from time to time.” The strongest wind gusts from Monday to Wednesday were recorded in the following areas: Sill Hill (SDGE)              74 MPH    Pleasants Peak                66 MPH   Fremont Canyon RAWS          65 MPH    Arrowhead Springs   64 MPH    Lytle Creek Ridge   63 MPH    Banning           62 MPH    Hauser Mountain               62 MPH    Santiago Peak                 62 MPH    Boulder Creek (SDGE)          59 MPH    Heaps Peak RAWS               59 MPH    Lucky Five Ranch (SDGE)       59 MPH    Crestwood (SDGE)              57 MPH    Winds were subsiding on Wednesday but could still reach 30-35 mph with some gusts in the 45-55 mph range in wind-prone areas like along Interstate 8 and in the valleys, NBC 7 meteorologist Brooke Martell said. Humidity also remains at critically low levels across the county. San Diego County has seen the driest start to the water year, which starts in October, in recorded history, according to forecasters. “As a reminder, even areas outside of the red flag warning are still prone to critical fire risk given how dry it is across the entire county,” Martell said. Mountain areas are expected to see sunny and clear conditions through the week, with small chances of rain, snow and partly cloudy conditions by the weekend, although the likelihood is slim, Martell said. It is likely another moderate Santa Ana wind event will develop early next week, peaking Tuesday through Wednesday morning, meteorologists said. Public Safety Power Shutoffs Amid the gusty Santa Ana winds, San Diego Gas & Electric cut power to more than 5,600 customers in order to prevent energized powerlines from collapsing, which is one of the leading causes of wildfires in the United States. By Wednesday morning, SDG&E began checking de-energized power lines before restoring power to about 3,000 customers. “Patrolling and inspecting power lines are the first steps in the restoration process after a PSPS,” SDG&E said in a written statement. “Although inspections are underway, it can be difficult to predict how long an inspection may take, given the varied length of each power line, the terrain and whether aerial inspections are required. If damage is found, repairs must be made before power can be restored safely.” In all, up to 54,000 customers were warned that they may be impacted by what SDG&E calls Public Safety Power Shutoffs. Areas who were at one point without electricity include the East County communities of Lakeside, Santee, Alpine, Boulevard, Campo, Descanso, Julian and the tribal lands of the La Posta, Viejas and Campo reservations. There was no estimated restoration time, but officials said that Emergency Operations Centers were monitoring the high winds and severe wildfire conditions around the clock and will continue to de-energize equipment for safety as conditions warrant. Community Resource Centers have opened to assist affected communities. Centers have Wi-Fi available, with phone and medical device charging and will remain open for customers until conditions improve. School closures Due to the outages, some schools will be closed Wednesday, including those in the Mountain Empire Unified School District and Lakeside Farms Elementary and DREAM Academy in Lakeside Union School District. Wildfire preparedness The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department advised San Diegans to do all they can to be fully prepared should any local wildfires erupt. “It’s not too late to create and practice an emergency plan,” SDFD spokesperson Mónica Muñoz said. “Discuss the plan with all members of the household, and consider various evacuation routes.” Residents can sign up for emergency alerts online at readysandiego.org. During the recent spate of Santa Ana conditions, which kicked in across Southern California shortly after the start of the new year, San Diego County has escaped the type of ferocious wildfires that have ravaged the Los Angeles area, killing at least two dozen people while blackening more than 40,000 acres and forcing about 150,000 people to evacuate. “The fire service has a very robust mutual-aid system,” Muñoz noted. “Each agency carefully considers how many resources they can send to assist (other communities).” The SDFD has dispatched crews to Los Angeles to help fight the historic firestorms there, as well as perform hazardous-materials mitigation and aid in searches for missing people. “We also sent incident-management-team specialists, chaplains … and peer-support personnel,” Muñoz said. “And while we will continue to provide mutual aid to our neighbors in L.A., please be assured all (San Diego) stations are fully staffed to handle calls for service here.”