Red flag warning issued for high fire danger across much of Northern, Central California
The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning Tuesday due to high fire danger across much of Northern and Central California.
Forecasters said gusty north winds coupled with dry conditions and low humidity will create critical fire conditions over the next couple of days in portions of the Central Valley and Delta regions. The weather service said the warning would be in effect from 11 p.m. Tuesday to 1 p.m. Thursday, when lighter winds are expected to arrive.
The warning was issued for the Sacramento Valley, the surrounding foothills, the Delta region and the northern San Joaquin Valley, stretching from Redding to Modesto. The warning applies to fire zones in Amador, Butte, Colusa, El Dorado, Glenn, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Shasta, Solano, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Yolo and Yuba counties.
Forecasters anticipate north winds of 10 to 25 mph with gusts of up to 35 mph. They predict minimum daytime humidity of 8 to 15 percent with moderate to locally poor overnight recoveries of 30 to 50 percent. The weather service said conditions will make it easier for grass fires to start and any fires that develop are likely to spread rapidly.
Outdoor burning is not recommended and residents are urged to avoid activities that could create open sparks, such as driving or operating a lawnmower on dry grass or weeds and improperly disposing of cigarettes and matches. The weather service also advises people to avoid using power equipment that could create sparks and make sure no vehicle parts drag on the ground, including towing chains.
Similar winds contributed to the spread of last week’s Grant Fire, which consumed more than 5,000 acres of grass Friday near Sloughhouse. The fire caused evacuations and road closures in a sparsely populated area of east Sacramento County between Rancho Cordova and Folsom. Light rain and improved conditions helped crews contain that fire late in the day, but conditions will be less favorable this week with temperatures expected to rise into the low to mid 90s throughout the region Wednesday.
The Grant Fire was 96 percent contained as of 5 p.m. Tuesday, Cal Fire’s Amador-El Dorado unit said.
Cal Fire provides resources for wildfire preparedness at readyforwildfire.org. The website features tips for preventing wildfire and protecting homes, an evacuation guide, links to a web-based app used to create custom wildfire preparedness action plans and a text-messaging system that issues alerts for wildfire incidents.
This story was originally published June 16, 2020 at 12:30 PM.
