SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) — A Red Flag Warning went into effect early Saturday morning for Solano County as a weekend weather system stirred up blustery, bone-dry winds with gusts topping 40 mph on Mount Diablo, elevating fears of wildfires igniting and spreading on the region’s drought-stricken hillsides.
A 3-alarm vegetation fire erupted Saturday morning on a bone-dry hillside near Carquinez Bridge and was quickly halted by firefighters. The flames were halted within 100 yards of homes. The right lanes at Carquinez toll booths were shut down during the fire response.
#Waterviewfire @VallejoFire E78 on scene pic.twitter.com/1oMz4FN6UA
— CrockettCarquinezFire (@FireCrockett) April 9, 2022
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The National Weather issued the warning for Solano County and nearby Sacramento Valley until Sunday evening because in addition to the increasing strength of the wind, humidity levels will also be plunging to the teens.
“The winds will bring a drying effect to our region where we could see minimum relative humidity values in the teens, potentially single digits” the weather service said. “Though recent rains in the past month helped to green up the grasses, the 100-hour fuel moisture values are near or at minimum values.”
“We are currently seeing gusts at some buoys of 35 to 50 mph over the ocean,” the forecasters continued. “Meanwhile, early morning gusts over land are 20 mph up to around 40 mph. This northerly pressure gradient will have a bit of a lull later Saturday morning, but is forecast to increase again Saturday afternoon and overnight.”
A wind advisory was in effect for the eastern Santa Clara County and East Bay Hills until 3 p.m. Sunday. The gusts were also kicking up big waves on the coastal beaches.
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“Strong winds are being observed over the ocean that are generating a large wind wave combined with the background swell,” forecasters said. “This wind driven swell has the potential for generating large breaking waves between 18 to 22 feet in the surf zone.”
PG&E’s in-house meteorologists were forecasting breezy to gusty northerly winds across the region on both weekend days, with the stronger push expected to come Saturday evening continuing through the day Sunday.
On Saturday morning, the utility forecasters said, the highest wind gusts were expected in western portions of the Sacramento Valley with gusts around 50 mph, and gusts of 35 to 45 mph across the remainder of the Sacramento Valley and the Delta. Winds are only likely to subside slightly across the region Saturday afternoon.
On Saturday night into Sunday, a stronger push of wind was expected, with gusts possibly reaching around 55 mph across portions of the western Sacramento Valley and over the North Bay hills. Gusts of around 50 to 55 mph are possible along the Diablo Range with gusts around 35 to 45 mph over the Santa Cruz Range.
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The threatening weather will take a dramatic turn late Sunday into early Monday morning as a wet weather system moves into the region bringing a chance of light showers to the parched region.
Source: sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com.