A heat advisory was in place in San Luis Obispo Tuesday until 5 p.m. with temperatures having reached a high of 97 degrees, according to the National Weather Service (NSW).
Although the heat advisory ended Tuesday evening, temperatures are expected to remain in the high 80s to mid-90s for the rest of the week.
San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties have been listed as having elevated risk of fires this week. Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, however, are experiencing critical fire weather, according to NSW.
Moderate to strong Santa Ana winds with gusts up to 40 and 60 mph create dangerous fire conditions, similar to the recent Saddleridge Fire in early October.
The NSW’s website stated that the highest potential for rapid fire growth and extreme fire behavior if ignition occurs will be Thursday and Friday.
As of today, Tuesday, October 22, we are not expecting a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) in San Luis Obispo County or northern Santa Barbara County over the next seven days. For updates, please visit our PG&E weather awareness page. https://t.co/nWPhUfdaL8 #CaWx #SLOWeather pic.twitter.com/hd5mePbQeW
— John Lindsey (@PGE_John) October 22, 2019
Despite concerns for fires in southern California, Cal Poly is not expecting a public safety power shutoff at this time, according to University Spokesperson Matt Lazier.
Cal Fire Spokesperson Adan Orozco said Cal Fire has not been officially informed on a specific safety preparation plan, but there are plans in place for critical weather conditions.
“What we do in preparation for weather events like this is we increase our staffing levels,” Orozco said. “Some positions in our department will have their days off canceled.”
Cal Fire may also hire additional fire law enforcement officials and increase staffing on hand for weekend coverage to ensure staffing on bulldozers 24 hours a day.