California fire danger: Gusty winds, 100-degree temps; PG&E expands possible shutoffs to 97K

Redding Record Searchlight

Much of California will be at greater-than-usual risk from fire this week, and into mid-fall.

Fire weather watches are in effect this weekend throughout most of Northern California, and meteorologists expect to issue watches for parts of Southern California next week when temperatures soar into triple digits.

Pacific Gas & Electric is tracking the risky weather and announced possible shutoffs in the Northern Sierra, while the U.S. Forest Service extended its closure of nine national forests.

PG&E notified about 21,000 customers in portions of Butte, Plumas and Yuba counties that crews could shut off power for at least two nights as the weather turns hot, dry and windy.

On Friday, PG&E said it expanded the boundaries for potential power shutoffs based on updated weather forecasts that predict stronger wind gusts.

The potential power cutoffs early Sunday morning could impact about 97,000 of the utility's customers in parts of 15 counties that now include Shasta and Tehama counties. Some 2,816 customers could be affected in Shasta and another 1,223 customers in Tehama.

High fire-risk conditions, the kind that could damage or kick up debris into power lines and lead to a fire, are expected to arrive Saturday evening, continue through Sunday and subside Monday morning. PG&E crews would restore power after inspecting that de-energized lines were not damaged by the winds, the utility giant said in a statement Thursday night.

Temperatures could reach 100 degrees in places along the Sacramento Valley floor and inland Southern California, and up to 110 degrees in desert regions like Palm Springs/Sonoran Desert. Heat coupled with 20-mph winds and 30-mph wind gusts will drop humidity levels as low as 10% throughout most of inland Southern California, the Sacramento Valley, the western Sierra Nevada foothills and the San Francisco Bay Area to south Santa Clara County.

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That dry weather could feed wildfires already burning throughout the state. Areas affected include Mendocino County where the August Complex is burning, and the Sierra Nevada Mountains where the SQE Complex burns near Visalia and the Creek Fire near Fresno.

“The outlook predicts warmer than average temperatures through November and little precipitation," said meteorologist Alex Tardy at the National Weather Service in San Diego. "(Conditions) remain critically dry and sensitive to any wildfire starting at (this) time.”

Nine of California's national forests to stay closed

Due to the unprecedented wildfires in California, the Pacific Southwest Region has closed 18 National Forests. The closure has been extended until September 30th.

However, vendors and individuals with the proper Forest Service permit are exempt from the closures. This would include marinas and other businesses on Lake Shasta.

The nine national forests that will stay closed are Angeles, Cleveland, Los Padres, Inyo, Klamath, San Bernardino, Sequoia, Sierra and Six Rivers. The other nine national forests, including Lassen, Modoc and Shasta-Trinity, may be open to varying degrees but officials ask visitors to contact the forest offices.

"We understand how important access to the National Forests is to our visitors. Our aim is to prevent any new fires on the landscape,” said Randy Moore, regional forester for the Forest Service's Pacific Southwest region.

California has been dealing with an outbreak of fires sparked by dry lightning and driven by winds in a dry, hot year. As of Friday, firefighters were battling 25 major wildfires burning in the state, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. More than 8,000 wildfires burned more than 3.6 million acres; 26 people have died and at least 6,900 structures were destroyed.

The weather service this week issued a fire weather watch for much of Northern and Central California. It includes the western Sacramento Valley, the Sierra Nevada foothills, and the San Francisco Bay Area stretching from areas north of San Francisco to the southern part of Santa Clara County.

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Conditions will likely worsen next week, said warning coordination meteorologist Brian Garcia at the National Oceanic Atmospheric and Administration office in Monterey. He expects the San Francisco Bay Area's fire weather watch to “be upgraded to a Red Flag Warning, if models continue to show gusty winds over the hills.”

PG&E issues watch alert

PG&E's power shutoff “watch alert,” part of a new initiative to better inform customers, is posted two days before an event, which is then followed by a “warning alert” four to 12 hours before electricity is cut, The Associated Press reported.

“Strongest winds are expected during the overnight and morning hours Saturday and Sunday in the northern Sierra foothills where gusts in excess of 45 mph are possible,” PG&E said.

The company said its in-house meteorologists and center are monitoring conditions and more customers will be notified of possible shutoffs as the time gets closer to the event.

The NWS' Sacramento Valley forecast included wind and temperatures in the 90s starting Saturday, with triple digits possible on Sunday. That heat is making dry conditions even drier, said meteorologist Hannah Chandler-Cooley in Sacramento.

A fire weather watch is in effect throughout Northern and Central California this weekend through Monday.

This first week of fall is likely a harbinger of what is to come, said meteorologist Alex Tardy at NWS in San Diego. “The outlook predicts warmer than average temperatures through November and little precipitation. (Conditions) remain critically dry and sensitive to any wildfire starting at (this) time.”

April heat waves, and winds — warm Santa Anas in June and winds flowing up into Northern California from the Bay Area — started to dry the state earlier than most seasons, Tardy said.

Temperatures reached 115 degrees in Escondido and 121 degrees in Chino. That heat, followed by little rain and more dry Santa Ana winds, caused drought expansion in the Southeast this summer.

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“August was the hottest (month) on record for the entire state,” Tardy said. Humidity levels dropped to all-time lows.

Now fire weather risk is extreme, and will likely stay that way this fall, he said.

For more information on weather in your area go to the ’s interactive weather map at www.weather.gov.

Jessica Skropanic is a features reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. She covers science, arts, social issues and entertainment stories. Follow her on Twitter @RS_JSkropanic and on Facebook. Join Jessica in the Get Out! Nor Cal recreation Facebook group. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thank you.