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The dry, dangerous winds that have kept fire-scarred Los Angeles on edge for days are finally forecast to end — but a lack of rain and another round of winds forecast next week has officials worried.

“Things are starting to look better in terms of the forecast across California and the areas that have been devastated by the ongoing wildfires,” the National Weather Service said in a notice early Thursday.

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The last of the red flag warnings that blanketed much of the region this week are expected to end at 3 p.m. local time. However, no rain is expected.

Firefighters are gradually starting to control the deadly blazes that have been among the worst natural disasters in modern U.S. history. Still, the two largest — the Palisades and Eaton fires — are still less than 50% contained, and local officials have warned that the conditions that turned parts of the region into an inferno remain a threat.

“The danger has not yet passed, so please prioritize your safety,” Los Angeles City Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said Wednesday at a press conference.

Calmer winds, cooler temperatures and higher humidity levels are expected to last through the weekend, National Weather Service meteorologist Rich Thompson said at a community meeting in Palisades on Wednesday.

“Hopefully, that will help the firefighters make some good headway,” he said. But the break will likely be short-lived. “As much as I bring good news, I do bring bad news,” Thompson added.

Forecast models show strong Santa Ana winds and low humidity returning to the area starting Sunday night and continuing for days, he said. While it’s still too early to say with complete certainty, the region likely faces another extended period of critically dangerous wildfire conditions, Thompson said.

Earlier this week, forecasters warned residents that 40 mile-per-hour (64 kilometers-per-hour) wind gusts could fan any spark into a major fire. San Bernardino County firefighters on Wednesday afternoon reported a vegetation fire that quickly spread to 30 acres and threatened buildings.

Fires’ Toll

The flames have killed at least 25 people and upended life in America’s second-largest city, with more than 30,000 Los Angeles County homes and businesses still without power and many schools either destroyed or badly damaged. Evacuations have forced many residents to move in with family or friends, compete over expensive rentals or temporarily leave the area altogether.

The Eaton Fire has become the fifth-deadliest in state history, killing at least 16 people and consuming more than 7,000 structures, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, commonly known as Cal Fire. The larger Palisades blaze has claimed at least eight lives.

By early Thursday, the Palisades Fire was 21% contained and the Eaton Fire was 45% contained. The smaller Hurst Fire was nearly out and the Auto Fire, which has burned 61 acres, was about 50% contained.

There are 26 people still missing in the vicinity of the fires, including 20 near the Eaton blaze and six in the area of the Palisades Fire, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said at a press conference Wednesday. Evacuation warnings rose slightly, to cover about 90,400 people.

Wells Fargo & Co. and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. estimate insured losses could reach as much as $30 billion. Analysts with investment bank Keefe Bruyette & Woods have warned total losses for the insurance industry could reach $40 billion.

Related: LA Wildfire Å˽ðÁ«´«Ã½Ó³»­-Loss Estimates Approach $40 Billion

The fires have also touched off political debate on the local, state, and federal levels, with some in Congress threatening to put conditions on aid to California in the wake of the fires.

With almost no rain falling in Los Angeles since July and drought conditions worsening across Southern California, any fire threat alarms residents. Experts were worried for months that there would be a rash of severe blazes because plentiful rain and snow over the last two years has left California’s hillsides, mountains and valleys full of fine grass and vegetation, which dried out and turned into fuel for fires.

Top photo: Firefighters with the California Task Force 3 Urban Search and Rescue comb through the ruins of a beach-front house in Malibu, California, on Jan. 14.

Topics California Wildfire Louisiana