Alert: Red Flags throughout the State

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Alert: Red Flags throughout the State

Red Flags Flying throughout the State of California today and into the week-end easing Saturday night. Due to a strong cold front entering Northern California tonight bringing very dry gusty winds. The combination of strong, gusty winds and low humidities will create critical fire conditions in the Northern California Valleys and Foothills Friday and Saturday.

Map of Red Flags in Northern California
Interactive Map at Sacramento NOAA Link

Map of Red Flags in Southern California
Interactive Map at San Diego NOAA Link

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SAN FRANCISCO-COASTAL NORTH BAY... INCLUDING POINT REYES NATIONAL SEASHORE-NORTH BAY INTERIOR VALLEYS-NORTH BAY MOUNTAINS
.A DRY COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO NORTHERN CALIFORNIA THURSDAY EVENING BRINGING STRONG AND GUSTY NORTHERLY WINDS TO THE REGION. ...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 PM PDT SATURDAY... ...FIRE WEATHER WATCH NO LONGER IN EFFECT... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG WARNING... WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 PM PDT SATURDAY. DRY AND WARM WEATHER WILL CONTINUE TODAY WITH INCREASING NORTH RIDGE TOP WINDS AHEAD OF A DRY COLD FRONT. NORTHERLY WINDS TONIGHT WILL BE GENERALLY 15 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 45 MPH ALONG THE NORTH COAST AND IN THE NORTH AND EAST BAY HILLS. ALTHOUGH THE COLD FRONT WILL BRING MUCH COOLER TEMPERATURES AND HIGHER HUMIDITIES THE WINDS WITH THIS SYSTEM ARE EXPECTED TO BE EXCEPTIONALLY STRONG AND GUSTY...EVEN IN THE VALLEYS. ON FRIDAY A SECONDARY SYSTEM WILL PASS OVER THE REGION WITH GUSTY NORTH WINDS CONTINUING DURING THE DAY... ALTHOUGH THEY MAY EASE FOR A TIME. BY FRIDAY NIGHT WINDS WILL ONCE AGAIN INCREASE AS AN UPPER LEVEL JET PASSES OVER THE BAY AREA. WINDS WILL BECOME MORE NORTHEAST IN DIRECTION ON FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING WITH SUSTAINED WINDS OF 15 TO 30 MPH AND FREQUENT GUSTS TO 45 MPH. LOCAL WIND GUSTS UP TO 55 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THE NORTH AND EAST BAY HILLS. EVEN WITH COLD TEMPERATURES AND HIGH HUMIDITIES WINDS OF THIS MAGNITUDE WILL CREATE A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS FIRE WEATHER SITUATION. THE STRONG WINDS WILL PEAK SATURDAY MORNING AND THEN SLOWLY EASE SATURDAY AFTERNOON. WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO DECREASE SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS INTO THE STATE.

Instruction:
A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EITHER OCCURRING NOW...OR WILL SHORTLY. A COMBINATION OF STRONG WINDS... LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY... AND WARM TEMPERATURES WILL CREATE EXPLOSIVE FIRE GROWTH POTENTIAL.
Area: SAN FRANCISCO-COASTAL NORTH BAY... INCLUDING POINT REYES NATIONAL SEASHORE-NORTH BAY INTERIOR VALLEYS-NORTH BAY MOUNTAINS-SAN FRANCISCO BAY SHORELINE-SAN FRANCISCO PENINSULA COAST-EAST BAY INTERIOR VALLEYS-EAST BAY HILLS AND DIABLO RANGE-SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS-SANTA CLARA VALLEY... INCLUDING SAN JOSE-SOUTHERN SALINAS VALLEY... ARROYO SECO... AND LAKE SAN ANTONIO-SANTA LUCIA MOUNTAINS AND LOS PADRES NATIONAL FOREST-MOUNTAINS OF SAN BENITO AND INTERIOR MONTEREY COUNTY INCLUDINGPINNACLES NATIONAL MONUMENT-NORTHERN SALINAS VALLEY... HOLLISTER VALLEY... AND CARMEL VALLEY-NORTHERN MONTEREY BAY-SOUTHERN MONTEREY BAY AND BIG SUR COAST-

Affected Counties or parts of: San Francisco, Santa Cruz, San Mateo, Marin, Monterey, Contra Costa, Napa, San Benito, Sonoma, Santa Clara, Alameda
Sent: 2008-10-09T04:57:27-07:00
Original Sender: KMTR@nwws.oes.ca.gov
From: NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA
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OWENS VALLEY/SOUTHERN INYO FOREST-
[EDIS] Red flag warning remains in effect from noon today to midnight pdt tonight for gusty winds and low humidity
A RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE OWENS VALLEY AND SOUTHERN INYO FOREST FROM NOON TODAY TO MIDNIGHT PDT TONIGHT FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITY. A DOWNSLOPE WIND EVENT IS EXPECTED IN THE LEE OF THE SIERRA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...POSSIBLY EXTENDING TO THE OWENS VALLEY FLOOR. WINDS COULD LOCALLY GUST AS HIGH AS 40 TO 60 MPH...AND RELATIVE HUMIDITY WILL BE BELOW 15 PERCENT THROUGH THE LATE EVENING AS WELL.
Instruction:
A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EITHER OCCURRING OR ARE IMMINENT. A COMBINATION OF STRONG WINDS... LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY... AND WARM TEMPERATURES WILL CREATE EXTREME FIRE GROWTH POTENTIAL.

Area: OWENS VALLEY/SOUTHERN INYO FOREST-
Affected Counties or parts of: Inyo, San Bernardino
Sent: 2008-10-09T03:49:17-07:00
Original Sender: KVEF@nwws.oes.ca.gov
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MONO-EASTERN ALPINE COUNTIES-MINERAL AND SOUTHERN LYON COUNTIES-
[EDIS] Red flag warning in effect from 11 am this morning to 6 pm pdt this afternoon for zones 273 and 459 for gusty winds and low humidity
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RENO HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 6 PM PDT THIS AFTERNOON. A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE EASTERN SIERRA AND WESTERN NEVADA TODAY. GUSTY WINDS WILL DEVELOP IN ADVANCE OF THIS FRONT WITH WIDESPREAD GUSTS OVER 30 MPH EXPECTED THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. IN ADDITION...VERY DRY AIR WILL BE IN PLACE. HUMIDITY RECOVERIES WERE POOR IN MANY AREAS AND VALUES ARE EXPECTED TO DROP AND REMAIN BELOW 15 PERCENT. A COLD FRONT WILL USHER IN MUCH COOLER AIR AND INCREASING HUMIDITY THIS EVENING.

Instruction:
A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS WILL OCCUR. FIRE OFFICIALS SHOULD MONITOR THEIR AREAS CLOSELY AS ANY NEW FIRE STARTS WILL SPREAD QUICKLY.

Area: MONO-EASTERN ALPINE COUNTIES-MINERAL AND SOUTHERN LYON COUNTIES-
Affected Counties or parts of: Modoc, Plumas, Placer, Mono, Lassen, El Dorado, Nevada, Sierra, Alpine
Sent: 2008-10-09T03:41:29-07:00
Original Sender: KREV@nwws.oes.ca.gov
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SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
[EDIS] red flag warning in effect from noon today to midnight pdt tonight for strong winds and low humidity

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAS VEGAS HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG WARNING FOR MUCH OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO MIDNIGHT PDT TONIGHT FOR STRONG WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITY. AN APPROACHING STORM SYSTEM WILL BRING INCREASING WEST WINDS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...ESPECIALLY OVER THE NORTHWEST PART OF THE COUNTY WHERE GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED. RELATIVE HUMIDITY WILL FALL BELOW 15 PERCENT THIS AFTERNOON AND REMAIN LOW THROUGH THE LATE EVENING AS WELL.

Instruction:
A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EITHER OCCURRING OR ARE IMMINENT. A COMBINATION OF STRONG WINDS... LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY... AND WARM TEMPERATURES WILL CREATE EXTREME FIRE GROWTH POTENTIAL.

Area: MOJAVE DESERT-
Affected Counties or parts of: Inyo, San Bernardino
Sent: 2008-10-09T03:49:16-07:00
Original Sender: KVEF@nwws.oes.ca.gov

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How fires get their names

Every year in California thousands of wildfires start throughout the state. In most cases, the dispatch center sending the initial resources to a wildland fire will designate a name for the fire, but the first on scene engine or fire official can also name the incident. Fires are usually named for the area in which they start – a geographical location, local landmark, street, lake, mountain, peak, etc. Quickly naming the fire provides responding fire resources with an additional locater, and allows fire officials to track and prioritize incidents by name. For example during the Southern California Fire Siege of 2003, the largest wildland fire in California history, the Cedar Fire in San Diego County, was named after the Cedar Creek Falls area where it started. The destructive Old Fire, which burned during the same time period in San Bernardino County, was named after the road along which it started - Old Waterman Canyon Road.

CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States. CDF - CAL FIRE Firefighters answer the call more than 300,000 times a year. CAL FIRE Firefighters make up the fire department for 30 of our 58 counties in California and more than 100 local communities. We serve as the incident command during many of California’s most serious disasters. CAL FIRE Firefighters respond to many various types and forms of calls ranging from structural fires, to auto accidents, to earthquakes, to floods, to the spilling of hazardous materials, to every conceivable disaster; CAL FIRE answer's the calls. CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States . CAL FIRE firefighters protect 33 million acres of State Responsibility Area (SRA). We have over 4,000 members within CAL FIRE and CAL FIRE is associated with the California Professional Firefighters (CPF) and the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF).

CFN - CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS - CAL FIRE NEWS

Thursday, October 9, 2008