High winds, low humidity prompt Bay Area Fire Weather Watch for Thursday - Saturday
The National Weather Service has issued a Fire Weather Watch for much of the Bay Area later this week, as dry and windy weather is set to return to the region.
According to the agency's Bay Area office, the watch is in effect for all nine Bay Area counties from 11 a.m. Thursday through 8 p.m. Saturday.
"Folks, we are not out of the woods yet," the office said on its account on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday.
Folks, we are not out of the woods yet. We've issued a Fire Weather Watch in effect Thursday until Saturday evening for the potential for strong offshore winds and low humidity. Areas most likely to see impacts are the higher elevations which could see gusts up to 50 mph.#CAwx pic.twitter.com/q6EuPJQ3hF
— NWS Bay Area 🌉 (@NWSBayArea) October 14, 2024
The Weather Service said gusty northeast winds are expected to develop as soon as Thursday afternoon, largely 20-30 miles per hour gusting to 40 mph. At the higher elevations, gusts could reach 50 mph.
Meanwhile, humidity is expected to drop to "critically dry" levels on Friday and Saturday, possibly dipping to as low as 15% during the day and less than 40% during the overnight hours.
"The combination of gusty winds and low humidity can cause fire to rapidly grow in size and intensity," the Weather Service said in a statement, adding that outdoor burning is not recommended.