Down south, in spots such as Santa Ana, Irvine and Fontana and the majority of the Inland Empire, expect winds of up to 60 miles per hour. Orange County can expect temperatures to remain level in the mid to high 70s, with the Inland Empire seeing a decrease to the mid to high 60s.

Wind gusts topping 70 mph in the San Gabriel Mountains are providing a taste of the conditions that are expected to continue into Thursday.

Several injuries have been reported in Southern California as wildfires spread Wednesday amid an extreme fire weather threat driven by strong Santa Ana winds.

By 7 a.m., the utility company had already shut power to 13,800 customers in the four counties of Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura, with numbers expected to rise as winds pick up through the morning.

Gusty Santa Ana winds are expected to return Wednesday and continue into Thursday, bringing with them elevated fire risk, officials said.