Much of inland San Diego County was whipped yet again by a strong Santa Ana wind event Monday into Tuesday, contributing to risky fire conditions as the region remains bone-dry.

Santa Ana winds finally delivered a big, direct hit on San Diego County Tuesday, gusting as high as 102 mph in the backcountry where a touch of long-overdue rain could arrive this weekend.

An uptick in Santa Ana winds Wednesday afternoon through Thursday, combined with critically dry vegetation and low humidity, will result in elevated to locally critical fire weather conditions in County through late Thursday.

Since Jan. 8, one wave after another of fierce Santa Anas have blown through Southern California. Thus far, the San Diego area has escaped the devastation seen in the Los Angeles areas by wind-whipped blazes that leveled homes and forced evacuations.

For the latest updates on the LA and San Diego fires, follow USA TODAY's coverage for Wednesday, Jan. 22. SAN DIEGO — Multiple wildfires broke out in San Diego County on Tuesday, prompting evacuation orders,

Strong winds fueled fires across Santa Ana in California. Dramatic footage shows a plume of smoke rising from a hillside, with strong winds swaying trees in the foreground on3. Reports indicated the large vegetation fire started Thursday afternoon on a hilltop near the US-Mexico border.

San Diego County remains under the grip of another round of moderate to strong Santa Ana winds, paired with extremely dry air, elevating critical fire weather concerns.

Santa Ana winds return tomorrow night. A Red Flag Warning kicks in from 8 a.m. Monday to 10 p.m. Tuesday for our inland and mountain communities. They’ll also see a High Wind Warning.

The Santa Ana winds are dry, powerful winds that blow down the mountains toward the Southern California coast. The region sees about 10 Santa Ana wind events a year on average, typically occurring from fall into January. When conditions are dry, as they are right now, these winds can become a severe fire hazard.

(KWTX) -One of the major factors that made the January Los Angeles fires so devastating was the very strong Santa Ana winds. This week we are talking with Alex Tardy, the Warning Coordination Meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in San Diego,

Scores of residents were urged to flee as fast-moving fires hurtled through bone-dry brush in Bonsall and Mission Valley Tuesday

But at 11 a.m., the number without power had been cut in half and by 4:16 p.m., the figure dropped to zero, after SDG&E workers on the ground and in the air patrolled areas spent the day checking on the condition of utility equipment, such as power lines and transformers.