Devastating wildfires continued to burn throughout the Los Angeles metro area on Friday, extending mandatory evacuations and school closures across the region. Next week promises little chance of relief; conditions will remain favorable for both the growth of existing wildfires and for new blazes to spark, as gusty winds persist amid unusually dry conditions.

Officials reported five major blazes across the Los Angeles area as of Friday morning. The Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades and Malibu has consumed more than 20,000 acres, while the Eaton Fire in Altadena has grown to more than 10,000 acres. At least 10,000 structures are thought to have been destroyed across Los Angeles, and 10 people have been killed.

Favorable fire weather requires dry vegetation, low humidity, and stiff winds. The combination of these ingredients allows fires to easily spark and rapidly spread; it was this dangerous mix that allowed the Palisades Fire and Eaton Fire to expand beyond any crew’s ability to control them earlier in the week.

Fire crews have since managed to start controlling the fires, helped by out-of-state reinforcements, the water in hydrants being replenished, and wind speeds dropping. (As well as helping the fires spread rapidly, the high seasonal Santa Ana winds earlier in the week at times prevented firefighting aircraft from working to control the blazes with water and fire-retardant chemicals.) The bad news is that those winds may now be about to pick up again—and that on all other fronts, conditions aren’t likely to be in firefighters’ favor anytime soon.

What Happens Next With the Weather

The Storm Prediction Center, the agency of the National Weather Service tasked with issuing fire weather outlooks, says that the risk for fire conditions will remain elev...