Update: Fire Weather Watch Upgraded to Red Flag Warning in NorCal

After the National Weather Service announced a Fire Weather Watch in Northern California, they have since upgraded that designation to a Red Flag Warning. It’s the highest designation given for fire alerts.

The Fire Weather Watch has been upgraded to a Red Flag Warning beginning this evening and continuing through Saturday. Fire starts will become easier during this time. #CAwx pic.twitter.com/tSMwkjdkXa

— NWS Sacramento (@NWSSacramento) June 20, 2019

The upgrade comes as winds are expected to reach 40 mph through Saturday, and the Red Flag Warning will remain in place until Saturday night.

Here is the original article:

Fire Weather Watch Issued for NorCal this Week

With high winds and low humidity in the forecast, the National Weather Service has issued a Fire Weather Watch for the North Valley. The designation is in effect from Thursday night through Saturday evening.

The areas that will see the highest risk of fire include the Interstate 5 corridor from Shasta Lake to Winters. CalFire will place additional firefighters and staff on duty during the designated time.

The areas of highest concern sit along the wester foothills where the gusts could reach up to 35 mph – mostly just south of I-5 from Redding to Winters. Areas of Solano, Yolo, Colusa, Glenn, Tehama, Shasta, Butte, Yuba, Sutter, Sierra, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento and El Dorado are included in this watch, including Shasta-Trinity National Forest.

“Weakening high pressure will be replaced with low pressure by the end of this week,” according to an NWS forecast. “This will result in a cooling trend into Friday. Increasing northerly wind and lower humidity will bring elevated fire weather concerns across portions of the Sacramento Valley Thursday into Saturday. Warmer temperatures return over the weekend as high pressure rebuilds.”

On June 8 and 9, a similar fire watch was issued in NorCal, when the Sand Fire started in Yolo County and PG&E shutdown power to 16,000 customers in Butte and Yuba Counties. Although PG&E has not indicated that it they intend to do a shutdown during this Fire Weather Watch, they have setup a website, that helps alert customers of a potential loss of power.