Update: Red flag warnings canceled early for Sacramento Valley, North Bay as winds die down
Update: The National Weather Service announced at noon Sunday it was canceling the red flag warning, as conditioned improved.
Original story: The National Weather Service has issued a pair of red flag warnings, advising that critical fire weather conditions are expected Saturday afternoon through Sunday in parts of the Sacramento Valley and the North Bay hills.
Gusty winds between 25 and 35 mph, low daytime and overnight humidity, and relatively warm weather have prompted the Sacramento Valley warning, which will be in effect 1 p.m. Saturday through 5 p.m. Sunday, the NWS Sacramento office said in an advisory just before 9:45 a.m. Friday.
“Building high pressure will result in breezy northerly winds with warming temperatures and lowering humidity through the weekend,” the NWS red flag warning message begins. “The combination of breezy winds and low humidity will bring critical fire weather conditions over the western side of the Sacramento Valley into the northern Coastal Range and adjacent foothills.”
The warning includes portions of Tehama, Glenn, Colusa, Yuba, Sutter and Butte counties in the northern central Sacramento Valley, plus Yolo, Sacramento, Solano and the far western edge of Placer county in southern valley.
Winds are expected to die down by early Sunday evening.
A separate warning from the NWS Bay Area office expects critical fire conditions throughout patches of Napa, Sonoma and Marin counties above 1,000 feet, where gusts up to 35 mph are forecast for Saturday night through Sunday morning.
Each warning indicates that “any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly.”
Sacramento and immediately surrounding areas are not currently expected to see gusty conditions, with NWS forecasts predicting winds below 10 mph in the capital city itself this weekend. High temperatures are expected to stay in the low- to mid-80s, possibly warming to 90 degrees by Monday.
This story was originally published October 4, 2019 at 10:38 AM.
