Strongest winds of the 12 months up to now to intensify San Francisco Bay Space fireplace threat
Meteorologists across Northern California are closely monitoring a strong weather system that is expected to create ideal conditions for gusty north winds and extremely low humidity from Sunday through Tuesday, creating a significant risk of wildfires, the National Weather Service reported.
The system, known as the “Inside Slider”, will fall from the Pacific Northwest and dig its way over the Great Basin late Sunday evening through Monday, and offshore winds in the region with scattered gusts of over 60 mph and even up to 70 mph drive. the highest peaks in the San Francisco Bay Area, including Mount St. Helena in the North Bay and Mount Diablo in the East Bay.
“In contrast to systems that come from the sea, this system will come from within,” said weather service forecaster Geri Diaz. “This air is drier and comes from further north, traveling over land rather than water. It’s a classic setup for this time of year.”
Weather service forecaster Cindy Palmer added that this will be the strongest offshore wind event the San Francisco Bay Area has seen since the beginning of the year, although the winds don’t look quite as extreme as during some of the most recent devastating fires in the United States North Bay, including the 2017 Sonoma and Napa Counties Fires, the Kincade Fire 2019, and the Glass Fire 2020.
Still, Palmer added, “This is a respectable wind event. It’s nothing special. We look for frequent guests with a speed of 40 to 80 miles per hour, locally we could see gusts of 60 miles per hour. It wouldn’t surprise me if Mount Diablo and Mount St. Helena pressed 70 miles an hour. “
Offshore winds, also known as Diablo winds, are common across California in October. These winds blow hot air from inland towards the coast and are known to dry out the landscape and remove moisture from the vegetation, making it highly flammable. This year the risk of fire is particularly dry, as the vegetation has dried up after two consecutive dry winters.
The National Weather Service has upgraded the fire station to a stricter red flag warning for the North Bay Mountains and East Bay Hills and Valleys from 11 p.m. Sunday through 5 p.m. Tuesday.
The strongest winds are expected in the eastern areas of the Napa, Contra Costa and Alameda counties, the weather service said.
With drying winds, the humidity could drop in the tens during the day in the interior of the country.
“Any outbreak of fire would likely spread quickly due to dry fuel, low humidity and gusty winds,” warned the weather service. “Burning outdoors is not recommended.”
PG&E told 44,000 customers that they could turn off their electricity on Monday due to the strong winds and the increased risk of fire in the forecast.
Up to 32 counties could be affected, including Alameda, Contra Costa, Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties in the SF Bay Area.
