BRIEF HEAT INCREASES NORTH BAY FIRE CONCERNS, COOL DOWN BY FRIDAY

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On Tuesday and Wednesday, warming temperatures and gusty northerly winds will increase fire concerns across the North Bay, but at this time forecasters don’t expect critical conditions to develop.

The combination of low pressure passing to our north and high pressure building into California will increase our winds, especially across higher elevations like Mt. St. Helena. At the same time, temperatures will reach the upper 90s to low 100s inland on Tuesday and Wednesday (a cool down begins Thursday).

The gusty winds will be mostly in the higher elevations and off the coast, while relative humidity will fall as the marine layer is compressed. However, the energy release component of fuels is average or below for this time of year across the region, which is good news.

Monday’s satellite image shows clear skies over most of the West, with smoke visible from fires in far northern California. Over the next 24-48 hours, high pressure will build west, and the PNW low pressure center will move inland.

Here’s a forecast for high pressure building in through midweek.

And projected highs for Wednesday, the warmest day. 90s and a few 100 degree readings for the inland North Bay.

As we mentioned, there may be a brief period of high winds in the North Bay hills Tuesday and early Wednesday. But humidity values are expected to stay above the critical range.

Thankfully, the warmup will be brief. By Friday and through the weekend, low pressure will form over NorCal, bringing a dramatic drop in temperatures, to well below normal across California. For us, that means 70s to low 80s from Friday through Sunday.

A very nice Labor Day weekend!