A Red Flag warning is in effect for parts of Northern California due to the increased risk caused by wildfires.
The warning lasts through 11 p.m. tonight, and includes the Sacramento Valley, northern San Joaquin Valley, and coastal range. The Red Flag warning is issued when critical fire weather conditions are occurring. Contributing factors include strong winds, lightning, low relative humidity, and warm weather, all of which are possibilities for the area as a storm system is moving in off the eastern Pacific. “Fire safety precautions should be exercised to prevent additional fires,” the Weather Service said, adding that fires could also start from lightning.
Exceptionally dry conditions in Sacramento and other parts of Northern California were expected to complicate firefighters’ efforts on Friday as they battle about a dozen major wildfires across the state, according to The Los Angeles Times. Cal Fire, the state’s firefighting agency,said on Thursday that more than 14,600 firefighters were assigned to 13 active large wildfires. More than 2.1 million acres have been burned statewide, the agency said, adding that state, local, tribal and federal resources were being used to fight the blazes.