Sacramento region could see record heat Monday amid strong winds. But fires unlikely

It’s windy and hot, but don’t worry too much about wildfires, experts say.

North winds of 20 to 35 mph with gusts of up to 55 mph are expected throughout the Sacramento Valley until 7 p.m. Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. The Sierra Nevada mountains will see winds up to 45 mph and could see gusts over 65 MPH.

Temperatures could rise as high as 72 degrees on Monday before dropping back to the mid-60s Tuesday and low 60s the rest of the week. Downtown Sacramento and Sacramento Executive Airport’s all-time highs for Jan. 18 were 70 and 69 degrees respectively, both set in 2014.

Red flag warnings are in place in parts of Central California, and PG&E may proactively shut off power Monday in nine counties to prevent wildfires from sparking. But despite a Sierra Nevada snowpack that’s about half of normal, National Weather Service meteorologist Jim Matthews said there’s been enough winter rain to safeguard against fires in the foothills.

“On the west side of the valley, there could be some grass fires that pop up, but the fuel’s not in the same condition as it was back in the fall due to the rainfall we have had,” Matthews said. “This (weather) would more impact the public as strong winds toppling trees, maybe sending them into power lines and causing outages.”

More regional showers could come Friday, along with a couple inches of snow in the mountains. Chain controls may be implemented Friday but should be released by Saturday, Matthews said.