Red flag warning extended through Tuesday after fiery Saturday in Northern California
The National Weather Service’s Sacramento office extended a red flag warning for the Sacramento Valley to last through Tuesday, indicating an additional day of high fire danger amid dry and warm weather.
NWS forecasters originally issued the red flag warning from Friday through Monday evening, but on Sunday said it will last through 6 p.m. Tuesday, affecting the western Valley between Redding and Modesto, including all of Sacramento County. Portions of the northern Bay Area are also included.
Temperatures have remained high as humidity stays low throughout Northern California. NWS meteorologists warned that fast-moving wind gusts, potentially as high as 40 miles per hour, could whip up fires across the region.
“Gusty north to east wind, low humidity and unseasonably dry fuels will continue critical fire weather conditions,” weather service officials wrote Sunday in the red flag warning. “Strongest winds expected along the west side of the Sacramento Valley and through favorably oriented gaps and canyons in the surrounding foothills through early Tuesday.”
Northern California has already seen the consequences of such a dangerous combination of factors in the weather. On Saturday, several small grass fires ignited across the region, and the Chico area saw a relatively large wildfire near Meridian Road and Gunnison Way.
The Gunnison Fire, which grew to nearly 550 acres, was fully contained by Saturday evening, but forced temporary evacuations in communities northwest of Chico. Three outbuildings were destroyed and two more were damaged, according to Cal Fire’s Butte Unit. Fire officials said its rapid growth was fueled by the fast-moving winds affecting the area.
Sacramento and Yuba City firefighters also faced smaller grass fires Saturday. In Sacramento, traffic on Highway 99 was slowed down due to vegetation fires burning near the roadway around Fruitridge Road. The Yuba City Fire Department, meanwhile, fought a fire that started in grassland near the intersection of Plumas Arboga Road and Feather River Road.
This story was originally published May 9, 2021 at 2:01 PM.
