Red flag warning issued for Sacramento Valley as winds raise fire risk
The National Weather Service upgraded a fire weather watch to a red flag warning Friday for much of the Sacramento Valley and northern San Joaquin Valley, citing strong winds and very low humidity that could rapidly spread wildfires through Monday evening.
A red flag warning will be in effect from 5 a.m. Saturday through 8 p.m. Monday for much of the northern Central Valley, stretching from Redding south to Turlock, west to Vallejo and east to Auburn, including Sacramento, Stockton, Modesto and Redding.
The weather service said minimum daytime humidity will range from 7% to 15%, with overnight humidity recovering to 30% to 55%. North winds are expected to reach 20 to 30 mph, with gusts up to 45 mph and isolated gusts to 50 mph in the far western Sacramento Valley. Forecasters said winds are expected to peak Sunday, when there is a 65% to 95% chance that gusts will exceed 40 mph. Although winds are expected to weaken Monday, dry conditions and low humidity will keep fire weather concerns elevated through the evening.
The greatest fire danger is along and west of the Interstate 5 corridor in the Sacramento Valley, according to the weather service. The strongest winds are expected Saturday night through Sunday.
Sacramento is forecast to reach a high of 84 degrees Saturday, 82 degrees Sunday and 87 degrees Monday, according to the weather service. Temperatures are expected to remain above normal through the forecast period, with widespread minor heat risk in the Valley.
This weekend’s red flag warning comes after the weather service issued a fire weather watch Thursday for the same time period. It was escalated to a red flag warning Friday morning.
A fire weather watch remains in effect for the southern Central Valley, including Fresno. That watch extends from south of Turlock to just south of Bakersfield.
