East Bay Wind Advisory Amid 'Near-Critical' Fire Weather Conditions

EAST BAY — The National Weather Service issued a wind advisory for the East Bay hills for 11 p.m. Thursday, May 19 through 2 p.m. Friday, May 20.

The strongest winds are expected early Friday morning, with sustained winds of 30 to 30 MPH and gusts up to 50.

Humidity levels are expected to drop below 20% in most areas by Friday afternoon, except for along the coast where they're expected to be 30-40 percent.

The NWS recommends charging cell phones in case of a power outage, and securing loose items outside. If you have not cleared a defensible space around your home, today is the day to finish the chore.

A significant lack of rain in recent months will likely set the stage for a dangerous fire season, meteorologists at AccuWeather predicted earlier this month.

"Unfortunately, in a nutshell, it looks like it's going to be another busy season," he said. "We're seeing a lot of drought. Almost half of the country is experiencing drought and the bulk of that is to the west," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dave Samuhel said, adding that AccuWeather forecasters "are expecting an above-average fire season."

Samuhel said he expects the 2022 season to burn 9.5 million acres of land across the western U.S. — 130% of the five-year average and 140 percent of the 10-year average.

Some 80 million properties in the U.S. are at risk of exposure to wildfire, according to a First Street Foundation model.

Bay City News contributed to this report.