Yolo County, Bay Area under red flag warning as winds roll in, weather service says

A large portion of Northern California, including much of the Bay Area, is under a red flag warning due to high winds starting Sunday night.

The National Weather Service’s Sacramento office issued the red flag warning, set to take effect at 11 p.m. and to last through 5 p.m. Monday, as fast-moving gusty winds move across the region.

A combination of winds, gusting at a maximum of 45 miles per hour, and daytime humidity potentially as low as 10% makes for risky fire conditions, according to the weather service.

Sacramento County’s Delta territories are included in the warning, as is the entirety of Yolo County. The North Bay region will be under the red flag warning, along with parts of the South Bay.

The NWS also issued a wind advisory for Sunday night through Monday evening which includes nearly all of the Bay Area. Power outages are possible in the region if power lines are toppled by falling tree branches.

Gusts in Sacramento are predicted to reach between 25 and 30 mph, according to NWS forecasts.

“Areas of gusty north to east winds will continue through early Tuesday. Dry weather expected through the work week with above normal high temperatures,” meteorologists wrote in a Sunday afternoon forecast discussion. “Gusts are forecast to increase and become more widespread into this evening and overnight, with gradients reaching their maximum by tomorrow morning.”

The red flag warning coincides with a planned blackout by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. which will primarily affect Tuolumne and Mariposa counties. After downsizing the scale of the outage on Sunday, PG&E estimated that about 11,833 households will be without power on Monday.