Red Flag Warning for fire weather conditions in Bay Area, San Fransisco
A Red Flag Warning has been issued for the Bay Area in San Fransisco on Monday, November 4, 2024, due to a decrease in humidity and fire weather conditions.
Image credit: NWS
A Red Flag Warning has been issued from 11:00 PST (19:00 UTC) on Tuesday, November 5 to 07:00 PST (15:00 UTC) on Thursday, November 7, for the Bay Area and central coast due to dry fuels, gusty winds, and low humidity.
Affected regions include the Interior Bay Area, the central coast, the city of San Francisco, the SF Peninsula, the SF Bay Shoreline, the Santa Cruz region, and higher elevations of the central coast.
Strong gusts up to 50 km/h (30 mph) from the north to northeast have been observed across the region. Offshore winds are leading to a drop in humidity levels, making conditions dry.
According to the National Weather Service (NWS), even after recent rainfall in the affected regions, humidity levels are dropping rapidly, reaching as low as 14% and moving quickly toward single digits.
Authorities report that by Tuesday night, approaching high pressure from the Eastern Pacific will tighten the pressure gradient and strengthen winds.
Gusts are expected to reach up to 80 km/h (50 mph) across higher elevations, with relative humidity (RH) recoveries in the 30 – 45% range by Tuesday night.
On Wednesday, winds are expected to decrease slowly; however, due to decreasing humidity levels, fire weather conditions are expected to remain through the night.
The combination of gusty winds and low humidity can lead to fire spread.
References:
1 Red flag warning issued for Bay Area in San Fransisco – NWS – November 4, 2024
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