It's been an extremely — thankfully! — quiet fire season for our local area, but some serious fire danger is headed our way this weekend with a weather system that promises dry, offshore winds that often present wildfire hazards.
This morning we told you about the "inside slider" weather system that's forecast for all of California this weekend, which will bring Diablo Winds to the Bay Area and the equally sinister Santa Ana winds to Southern California. Subsequently, the National Weather Service has issued its third Red Flag Warning of 2023 for the Bay Area and the most widespread warning in two years.
As ABC 7 reports, the warning extends all the way north to Ukiah all across the East Bay and down to the South Bay, and includes the San Mateo coast and Peninsula hills as well. The only parts of the region that will be spared from fire danger are San Francisco and the inner ring of land around the Bay, including low-lying parts of Oakland and San Jose.
As the Sonoma County Fire District explains on X, Sonoma County has two Red Flag Warnings tomorrow — one that starts at 5 a.m. for higher elevations, and a second that kicks in for the rest of the county at 5 p.m. and extends through Sunday evening.
🚩RED FLAG WARNING UPDATE🚩
— Sonoma County Fire District (@SoCoFireDist) October 27, 2023
Update: Two Red Flag Warnings will be in effect for Sonoma County, 1st starting early Saturday at 5 AM for higher elevation hills & 2nd at 5PM for the rest of the county, both are through 5 PM Sunday. Follow @NWSBayArea for more weather info. pic.twitter.com/3eJytliSlP
During a Red Flag Warning, residents need to be hyper-vigilant not to cause sparks with any equipment or vehicles or campfires, and not to discard cigarettes anywhere near vegetation.
Wind gusts are expected to peak Saturday night around 45 to 60 miles per hour in some spots, though the Chronicle forecasts gusts peaking at 35 miles per hour for higher elevations in San Francisco and Oakland.