The North Bay will be under a red flag warning from eleven o’clock Thursday night to five o’clock Saturday afternoon. Forecasters are calling for critical fire weather conditions during that time. Relative humidity is expected to drop as low as ten percent and wind gusts could be as strong as 45-miles-per-hour. The highest peaks of the North Bay Interior Mountains could see gusts as strong as 65-miles-per-hour. Peak fire conditions are expected overnight Thursday into Friday morning.
The following activities are strongly discouraged when Red Flag Warning has been issued:
- Never mow or trim dry grass during a red flag warning because a power tool could spark on a rock and start a grass fire. It is not recommended even on windy, dry, hot days.
- No wood or charcoal camp fires in forests during periods of high fire danger.
- Thoroughly extinguish all cigarettes and smoking material.
- Don’t pull your vehicle over in grass as it can spark a grass fire. If necessary, pull over on paved roads.
- Use spark arrestors on portable gasoline powered equipment to avoid an accidental fire.
- Properly maintain vehicles to prevent starting fires along roads due to sparks or flammable materials being spit out from the catalytic converter system.
- Ensure trailer chains don’t drag on the ground and spark.
- Shooting of firearms is unsafe during periods of high fire hazards.
- Use extreme caution with welding or blowtorch projects.
- Burning plant cuttings on high fire danger days is unsafe.
PG&E is warning customers they may need to take action this week due to the extreme fire danger in the Bay Area. This would affect parts of Sonoma, Napa, Alameda, Contra Costa, and Solano counties. 707 customers and 19 Medical Baseline customers could be affected in Sonoma County.
