Wildfire risk increases in California as hot, gusty conditions persist into midweek
By
Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Sep 23, 2019 1:52 PM EDT
On Sept. 20, air and ground crews tackled a grass fire in Placer County, Cali.
Gusty winds, dry air and surging temperatures will elevate the risk for rapidly developing wildfires across much of California into midweek.
"Gusty, north to northeasterly winds will buffet California," according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Kyle Elliott.
"Wind gusts to 40 mph and locally higher are expected across the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys, the Coastal Ranges and the Transverse Ranges with 50-mph gusts likely in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada," Elliott said.
The north to northeasterly winds will help temperatures surge to record-challenging levels.
"Temperatures may reach or exceed the 90-degree Fahrenheit mark in San Francisco and the century mark in Sacramento on Tuesday and Wednesday," Elliott said.
The standing records are a bit higher in Southern California. However, downtown Los Angeles should reach well into the 90s with near-100-degree highs likely over the Inland Empire on Tuesday and Wednesday.
On Monday, Sonoma County officials declared a state of emergency as a precaution should PG&E shut off power to prevent wildfires during the heatwave, according to SFGate.
"The strong winds can cause erratic fire behavior and will hinder firefighting efforts," Elliott said.
People should use extreme caution with outdoor flames or any equipment that can cause sparks.
Never toss burning cigarettes outside.
Avoid parking a vehicle over dry grass or brush as the hot exhaust system can cause that brush to ignite.
There were nearly a dozen active wildfires burning across California as of early Tuesday morning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The hot and windy conditions are being produced by an area of high pressure that will set up over the interior Pacific Northwest into midweek.
The clockwise flow of air around that high will create the offshore flow over much of California.
Motorists traveling from coastal Southern California to the Arizona deserts will find a significant variation in the weather with heat near the coast and heavy rain well inland.
Tropical moisture and flooding downpours over the interior Southwest are not expected to reach most of California, although a few desert locations in the southeastern corner of the state may catch some rain.
"Later this week, beginning on Thursday, the pattern of hot and gusty winds will end," Elliott added.
A series of storms pushing across the Canada/United States border will force the high pressure area offshore of the Pacific Ocean. A southward dip in the jet stream will set up over much of the western U.S.
Download the free AccuWeather app to stay aware of the latest forecast for your area. Keep checking back for updates on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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News / Weather News
Wildfire risk increases in California as hot, gusty conditions persist into midweek
By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Sep 23, 2019 1:52 PM EDT
On Sept. 20, air and ground crews tackled a grass fire in Placer County, Cali.
Gusty winds, dry air and surging temperatures will elevate the risk for rapidly developing wildfires across much of California into midweek.
"Gusty, north to northeasterly winds will buffet California," according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Kyle Elliott.
"Wind gusts to 40 mph and locally higher are expected across the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys, the Coastal Ranges and the Transverse Ranges with 50-mph gusts likely in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada," Elliott said.
The north to northeasterly winds will help temperatures surge to record-challenging levels.
"Temperatures may reach or exceed the 90-degree Fahrenheit mark in San Francisco and the century mark in Sacramento on Tuesday and Wednesday," Elliott said.
The standing records are a bit higher in Southern California. However, downtown Los Angeles should reach well into the 90s with near-100-degree highs likely over the Inland Empire on Tuesday and Wednesday.
On Monday, Sonoma County officials declared a state of emergency as a precaution should PG&E shut off power to prevent wildfires during the heatwave, according to SFGate.
"The strong winds can cause erratic fire behavior and will hinder firefighting efforts," Elliott said.
People should use extreme caution with outdoor flames or any equipment that can cause sparks.
Never toss burning cigarettes outside.
Avoid parking a vehicle over dry grass or brush as the hot exhaust system can cause that brush to ignite.
Related:
There were nearly a dozen active wildfires burning across California as of early Tuesday morning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The hot and windy conditions are being produced by an area of high pressure that will set up over the interior Pacific Northwest into midweek.
The clockwise flow of air around that high will create the offshore flow over much of California.
Motorists traveling from coastal Southern California to the Arizona deserts will find a significant variation in the weather with heat near the coast and heavy rain well inland.
Tropical moisture and flooding downpours over the interior Southwest are not expected to reach most of California, although a few desert locations in the southeastern corner of the state may catch some rain.
"Later this week, beginning on Thursday, the pattern of hot and gusty winds will end," Elliott added.
A series of storms pushing across the Canada/United States border will force the high pressure area offshore of the Pacific Ocean. A southward dip in the jet stream will set up over much of the western U.S.
Download the free AccuWeather app to stay aware of the latest forecast for your area. Keep checking back for updates on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo