Red Flag Warning For North Bay: High Winds To Hit Hills

NORTH BAY, CA — A red flag warning for the North Bay hills — locations above 1,000 feet in elevation — was expected to go into effect at 10 p.m. Friday, according to the National Weather Service San Francisco Bay Area. A red flag warning 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 officials noted that this is a moderate event that is not as strong as the one in October during the North Bay wildfires.

Also included in the warning area are: the East Bay Hills, Santa Cruz Mountains, Diablo Range, 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.

"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 Bay City News Service and Patch editor Maggie Avants

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