Pacific Gas & Electric Co. on Friday expanded the area of potential of possible fire-prevention power shut-offs it could undertake Sunday and Monday to include the Bay Area. It was not immediately clear how many homes would be affected and in what counties or cities, and the shutoffs will be contingent on weather conditions.
Previously, PG&E had said that Butte, Plumas and Yuba counties could see power outages during that time frame, as the utility aims to prevent equipment that could be damaged in high winds from sparking wildfires.
The blue skies, clean air and pleasant temperatures Bay Area residents enjoyed Friday are set to give way to oppressive heat and powerful winds — ingredients for a heightened fire risk. Air quality is expected to deteriorate on Sunday, with smoky skies likely to linger into Monday.
Hot weather is expected to descend on Saturday for the Bay Area, really heat up on Sunday and Monday, and stick around through the middle of next week.
The National Weather Service issued a red flag alert warning of conditions likely to spread wildfires on Friday. Shifting winds are expected to send smoke from the huge August Complex fire in Mendocino County into the Bay Area. The worst air quality of the weekend is expected on Sunday and could linger into Monday, experts said, potentially giving residents at least half a weekend of clear air.
The red flag warning — forecasting gusty dry winds — takes effect at 9 p.m. Saturday and continues until 8 a.m. Monday. Dry winds, mostly above elevations of 1,000 feet, are expected in the North Bay and East Bay hills, blowing toward the south and west. The forecast, based on weather conditions, doesn’t mean fires are more likely to ignite but does mean that any fires that develop “will spready rapidly in the hot, dry and windy weather,” according to the National Weather Service.
Remember to stay fire weather aware this weekend!
Fire Weather Watches go in effect Saturday morning and last until Monday morning. Areas under the watch include the North Bay Mountains, East Bay Hills, and some of the Interior Valleys.#CAwx pic.twitter.com/RDzQFLZXUx
— NWS Bay Area (@NWSBayArea) September 25, 2020
Roger Gass, a weather service meteorologist, said the gusty winds will be limited to higher elevations and certain locations and won’t blow all day: Most will blow in beginning Saturday night into Sunday, and possibly Sunday night into Monday.
“This is more of a moderate event — nothing like a Kincade Fire-type event,” he said, referring to the 2019 Sonoma County blaze whipped up by gusty winds. “But given the hot, dry weather and the number of fires we’ve had already this year, it’s worth keeping an eye on.”
While temperatures are expected to soar, Gass said the fire risk is based on the gusting winds from the northeast, which deliver dry air that reduces the humidity, sucks even more moisture from vegetation and makes it tougher to fight wildfires.
Temperatures are expected to rise slightly on Saturday, climbing into the upper 70 and 80s around the bay and possibly 90s inland. On Sunday, they’ll jump a few more degrees, with the hottest temperatures coming on Monday when it could reach 90 in downtown San Francisco and elsewhere along the bay and around 100 in places like Concord, Cloverdale and Livermore. The heat is expected to start easing on Tuesday, dropping by perhaps five degrees.
Along with the temperatures, winds and fire danger, the Bay Area is likely to see the return of smoke with winds blowing smoke from the state’s largest-ever fire, the August Complex, into the Bay Area starting Sunday. But there’s less smoke this time around, Gass said, and the thick, sky-darkening skies and choking air are not likely to return.
Air quality in the area is expected to be moderate over the weekend but worsening on Sunday and Monday. An air quality advisory has been issued through Saturday because of expected smoke, but the Bay Area Air Quality Management District has not yet issued a Spare the Air alert. Spokeswoman Kristine Roselius said one could be issued Sunday or Monday when smoke drifts into the Bay Area and high temperatures combine with vehicle emissions and other pollutants to brew smog.
“Unfortunately, wildfire smoke is going to be a threat as long as we have wildfires burning,” she said. “The wind changes direction and it moves smoke in or out.”
Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ctuan
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