Dire warnings have been issued for the Los Angeles area, with a dangerous threat for the strongest wind event in more than a decade. Outages and extreme fire behaviours are major risks

Strong winds and fire weather warnings are in the forecast for parts of Los Angeles, including Malibu, the Santa Monica Mountains and more locations.

Weather officials have issued a red flag warning for parts of Southern California as extreme fire conditions increase.

The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for Los Angeles and parts of Ventura County through Thursday evening, meaning that conditions for wildfires will be at their highest thanks to low humidity,

San Diego County — which is in the midst of one of the driest periods on record — will be lashed by unusually cold and expansive Santa Ana winds early Wednesday that could spark wildfires, snap trees and knock out power,

The potentially hazardous conditions are expected Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, according to the NWS.

Potentially critical fire weather is likely to arrive in San Diego Tuesday and worsen into mid-week, with Santa Ana winds setting in amid dry conditions.

A damaging, life-threatening windstorm is likely to impact Los Angeles Tuesday through Wednesday, the National Weather Service reported. The NWS issued a warning regarding the potential catastrophic windstorm.