The fire danger is increasing, rain is unlikely during the week

The small chance of rain in some areas of the Bay Area this week is now virtually non-existent, the National Weather Service said Tuesday.

At the same time, the agency said the more likely possibility that dangerous fire conditions could develop has become a certainty.

Neither scenario will mean warmer weather.

“The rain we thought we were going to get was heavier in the North Bay, Napa and Sonoma counties,” NWS meteorologist Alexis Clouser said Tuesday. “But at the moment we don’t even expect there to be any traces of rain anywhere. The system simply wasn’t strong enough. However, the low pressure that should bring us rain will ensure cooler temperatures.”

That will do little to minimize the fire risk, officials said. Late Tuesday morning, the NWS upgraded the fire weather watch to a red flag warning for critical fire conditions. The warning applies to the inland Bay Area and central coast, as well as San Francisco, the Peninsula and the Bay Coast.

Clouser said strong offshore winds blowing toward rather than into the water will be a byproduct of the system’s trajectory. According to the agency, isolated wind gusts could reach speeds of 65 miles per hour, while steady winds would blow between 25 and 35 miles per hour.

“It’s not the temperatures that we’re so concerned about, it’s the offshore winds,” Clouser said. “This will cause grass fuels to dry out even more and humidity will be critically low. It will be very windy and very dry.”

PG&E spokeswoman Tamar Sarkissian said via email that the utility had not requested a public safety shutdown as of Tuesday morning. The planned power outages often occur during dangerous fire situations.

The utility opened its emergency operations center in Vacaville on Tuesday, and Sarkissian said the conditions could create the need for a PSPS.

Security officials urged residents to exercise caution given the fire conditions, limit defensible space in front of their homes and avoid activities that could create a spark or heat dry vegetation, such as mowing the lawn.

Temperatures, expected to peak in the low 80s and high 70s in the hottest spots on Tuesday while hovering around 70 near the water, are expected to drop a few degrees on Wednesday and Thursday before falling on rise again on Friday. Areas near the coast may be 10 degrees warmer Friday, but the hottest inland locations are expected to stay in the low to mid 80s.

“Once the wind dies down, it will be pretty calm,” Clouser said.

Originally published: October 15, 2024 at 7:42 am

Related Posts

Leave a Reply Cancel reply