A new California weather warning? What ‘Potentially Dangerous Situation’ means in the Valley
The National Weather Service has introduced a type of Red Flag Warning for conditions that can be particularly dangerous related mostly to wildfires in the San Joaquin Valley and foothills, according to the service’s top official.
Officials stress that the Red Flag Warnings in general are not new to the service, but the Particularly Dangerous Situation designation related to wildfires is new.
The warning will be issued rarely, officials said, when there is a combination of extremely low humidity, high winds and dry vegetation that could act as fuel for a fire.
New fires may grow rapidly out of control during the warning period, officials said, and in some cases people may not be able to get out safely as a fire approaches.
In California, NWS Reno and NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard already are in a place to use the designation when necessary. The agency began to roll it out in NWS Sacramento and NWS Hanford in June, according to the weather service.
The service’s matrix of warnings marks the Potentially Dangerous Situation with a magenta square.
The warning has been used in other parts of the country to warn people of tornadoes.
Sequoia wildfires
Wildfire season has become more intense in the state, and several fires continue to burn.
The Tulare County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday called off all evacuation orders and warnings for the Windy Fire, as cooler weather and firefighting efforts increased containment for both wildfires burning in and near Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park.
The Windy Fire, burning near Camp Nelson, was reported to be 88% contained Sunday after burning 97,554 acres.
The KNP Complex Fire, which was endangering groves of giant sequoias, was reported 55% contained Sunday, having consumed 87,890 acres.
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park remain closed.
This story was originally published October 17, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "A new California weather warning? What ‘Potentially Dangerous Situation’ means in the Valley."
