By james art 
Gusty winds on the Inland Empire Santa Ana forced the National Weather Service to issue red flag warnings throughout San Bernardino County on Monday.
Red flag warnings are in place as strong Santa Ana winds dry out the atmosphere, creating fire danger conditions in the Inland Empire Mountains, San Bernardino, San Jacinto, San Gabriel and eastern Ventura County.
A high wind warning is in effect Monday for the Santa Clarita and San Fernando Valleys and Thousand Oaks, with the wind warnings expiring at noon. Gusts up to 45 mph are expected.
High wind warning areas in the foothills of Los Angeles County will see even stronger winds, where gusts could reach 50 to 60 mph.
Winds will peak Monday morning and are expected to ease in the afternoon, according to KCAL News meteorologist Amber Lee.
In Orange County and the Inland Empire, winds are expected until 4 PM on Monday.
Southern California Edison is warning that the utility may have to cut service to potentially 170,000 customers in five counties if the wind gets too strong.
We’ll see a break in the winds on Tuesday, with inland temperatures rising slightly, and another round of Santa Ana winds expected through Wednesday and Thursday. Stronger and more widespread winds are expected Wednesday morning.