A STRONGER ROUND OF SANTA ANA WINDS HEADED FOR REGION

Forecasters also say rain unlikely through Dec. 18

For the second week in a row, g reater San Diego will be lashed by Santa Ana winds. But the next round is likely to be stronger and could cause wind damage over a wide area, the National Weather Ser vice said Sunday.

Forecasters say the winds will star t f lowing through the Cajon Pass and Orange County on Tuesday night and early Wednesday then spread into San Diego County on Wednesday night, lasting at least through early Friday, possibly longer.

The winds are expected to g ust to 50 mph or higher i n the local mountains and 30 mph to 40 mph in areas like El Cajon, Ramona and Santee, forecasters say. The relative humidity wi l l drop to 10 percent to 15 percent, with even lower readings in some areas.

The i ncoming Santa

Ana winds will be relatively cool. Daytime highs will only reach the low to mid-60s across most of the reg ion on Wednesday and Thursday. It appears that the winds will peak early Thursday. And it is likely that the weather ser vice will issue f ire weather advisories for the eastern half of the county.

There’s also a good chance that SDG&E will notify some of its customers in East County that their power could be temporarily turned off during the windstorm to help prevent the star t and spread of wildf ires.

The dr y, off shore weather is par t of a longterm trend. Forecasters say there is no rain in the 10-day forecast and that g reater San Diego is apt to be drier and warmer than normal through Dec. 18 and possibly throughout the entire month.

Since Jan. 1, San Diego International Airpor t has recorded 7.23 i nches of rain, which is 1.50 inches below average.