The National Weather Service has warned that fire risk in California are on the rise due to high winds, low humidity and dry conditions as Santa Ana winds begin in Southern California. In addition, warnings have been issued for multiple counties in Northern California.
With Santa Ana winds beginning on Tuesday and going through Wednesday night, risk of fires in southern California will be high. With wind speeds between 25 to 40 mph and dry conditions, even a small flame could build up enough to start large scale burning. Along with these strong winds, temperature increases of 7 to 15 degrees in the area add another factor that could lead to fires.
Along with the gusts produced by the Santa Ana winds, this time of year brings offshore weather patterns that also increase fire risk. These weather patterns bring hotter, drier and windier conditions which lead to the drying of brush, which typically fuel wildfires to burn out of control.
In addition to Southern California, red flag fire warnings have been issued through Wednesday in Northern California. The northern threat has caused Pacific Gas and Electric Company to preemptively shut-off power to 124,000 customers across nine counties beginning later in the day on Monday. This is a strategy to prevent wildfires from sparks coming off utility lines that break due to strong winds.
Currently the state is battling six fires that are larger than 500 acres. While this year alone has seen nearly 157,000 acres burn, according to Cal Fire data, that is just a fraction of the number from last year.
