Alert issued for Northern California as wind creates ‘extreme fire weather conditions’
As a red flag warning remains in effect through Friday evening in Northern California, the National Weather Service expects dangerous wildfire conditions to return to the region by Sunday morning.
The weather service on Thursday issued a fire weather watch alert that goes into effect Sunday morning through Tuesday afternoon. Forecasters anticipate strong wind and relatively low humidity, risky conditions that could allow a wildfire to rapidly grow in size.
The weather alert was issued for the Sacramento Valley, the Northern San Joaquin Valley, the Northern Sierra Foothills and the Sierra north of Highway 50, according to the weather service. The affected areas include Sacramento, Yolo and western Placer counties, along with San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties.
Hannah Chandler-Cooley, a NWS meteorologist in Sacramento, said in a video briefing that the weather front moving in Sunday “is currently expected to be the strongest wind event of this season, up to this point.”
Beginning late Sunday morning, forecasters expect a north to east wind 20 to 30 mph with gusts reaching 40 to 50 mph in the valley. In the mountains, north to east wind will reach 25 to 35 mph with gusts of 40 to 60 mph. Stronger gusts of more than 70 mph were possible over ridges and through favored gaps and canyons at night and in the morning.
A minimum daytime humidity of 5% to 25% was expected, along with a maximum overnight humidity from 15% and 40%. The weather service said all outdoor burning should be avoided and warned that strong wind can cause downed trees and power lines.
The weather service had already issued a red flag warning for most of the northern Sacramento Valley, large portions of the greater Bay Area and a stretch of the central and northern Sierra Nevada. That warning remains in effect through 5 p.m. Friday.
Forecasters said they anticipate “a brief reprieve” Saturday, before the wind increases Sunday, according to the issued alert. Chandler-Cooley said the wind combined with low humidity and record-level dry vegetation will create “extreme fire weather conditions.”
This story was originally published October 22, 2020 at 4:07 PM with the headline "Alert issued for Northern California as wind creates ‘extreme fire weather conditions’."
