Red Flag Warning: Cal Fire Santa Clara Prepares For High Winds

SOUTH BAY, CA — With a red flag warning for the mountains of South Bay and most other locations above 1,000 feet in the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern California set to take effect at 10 p.m. Friday, Cal Fire's Santa Clara Unit has pre-positioned additional air and ground resources. The red flag warning, which applies to the Santa Cruz Mountains and the Diablo Range, means critical fire conditions are ongoing or expected shortly. Any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly and outdoor burning is not recommended.

During the warning period, which is through 10 a.m. Sunday, northerly winds of 20 to 35 mph can be expected with local gusts exceeding 50 mph likely, according to weather officials.

The strong winds combined with low relative humidity can contribute to extreme fire behavior. Relative humidity readings of 10 to 20 percent are forecast for Saturday afternoon, while humidity values of 10 to 30 percent are expected Saturday night.

"The Red Flag Warning is forecasted to expire on Sunday, however could be extended if conditions continue to meet thresholds," said Pam Temmermand, spokeswoman for the Morgan Hill-based Cal Fire Santa Clara Unit.

"The best situation for emergency response personnel is to prevent the start of fires," Temmermand said. "Do not let the low temperatures outside give you a false sense of security as to the danger! Temperature has little to do with fire conditions. Remember for any fire you are determined to have started that escapes your control you can be held civilly and criminally responsible. CAL FIRE encourages residents to not burn outside, use power equipment safely in vegetated areas and use mechanized equipment carefully during this Wind Advisory and Red Flag Warning."

Also included in the warning area are: the North Bay Hills, East Bay Hills, Santa Lucia Range, and interior mountains of Monterey and San Benito counties.

Winds will be high in the North Bay mountains and East Bay hills, and moderate in other locations, according to the weather service.

Weather officials noted that this is a moderate event that is not as strong as the one in October during the North Bay wildfires.

"We have a dry cold front coming through the area, and with that we are already getting strong winds," said meteorologist Drew Peterson. "It's already dry out there, so a combination of these things led to the issuance
of the red flag warning."

Peterson said this has been a dry season, "so we don't have moisture to keep (fire) conditions down."

The Bay Area isn't the only place with fire worries. There are a number of red flag warnings in place across the state, Peterson said.

By Patch editor Maggie Avants and Bay City News Service

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