Red flag warning issued for North Bay hills as strong winds ramp up fire danger

With fierce winds expected to sweep across a wide swath of Northern California through Tuesday amid critically dry conditions, the National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for wildfire danger that includes portions of Sonoma, Lake and Mendocino counties.

The warning began at 11 p.m. Sunday and lasts until 5 p.m. on Tuesday. Fires that start during that window have the potential to rapidly grow out of control, meteorologists said.

On Sunday, in anticipation of the high winds, Cal Fire began relocating extra resources to areas in Sonoma, Lake and Mendocino counties, officials said.

For example, an extra helicopter will be relocated to the St. Helena area, Cal Fire said.

In portions of the Bay Area, including the North Bay mountains, north to northeast winds are expected to blow at sustained speeds of 15 to 30 mph. Gusts are predicted at speeds between 40 and 50 mph, and up to 60 mph in the most extreme locations, according to forecasters.

A wind advisory has also been issued for the city of Santa Rosa, according to the National Weather Service. It will be in effect from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday.

The red flag warning in the North Bay covers the hills of Marin, Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties. The East Bay hills and valleys and the Santa Cruz mountains are included in the warning, which extends across much of interior Northern California.

Beginning Monday morning, areas above 1,500 feet in Lake and Mendocino counties are also under the warning. Forecasters are anticipating wind gusts up to 40 mph in those locations.

Monday is the main focus point for wind gusts across the North Bay, said Bill Mongo, a meteorologists with the National Weather Service in Monterey.

By Tuesday evening, forecasters said, wind gusts will decrease to 10 to 20 mph.

The conditions have prompted Pacific Gas & Electric Co. officials to consider preemptively shutting off power in portions of Northern California to reduce the risk of electric equipment sparking more wildfires.

On Saturday, PG&E warned of possible planned power shut-offs to nearly 8,000 homes and businesses in Sonoma, Lake and Napa counties beginning Monday morning.

As of 8 p.m. Sunday, the utility said potential shut-offs could affect 87 homes and businesses in Sonoma County, 4,008 in Lake County and 2,428 in Napa County.

PG&E is sending 25,000 notices to 22 counties and seven tribes in California, according to a news release. A decrease from the initial total of 44,000 customers in 32 counties set for potential shut-offs announced on Saturday.

“Be prepared and always have a plan. Charge your phone, have a flashlight, unplug your TV and computers,” Angela Lombardi, PG&E spokesperson, said Sunday. “Our scope for impact has decreased but weather changes quickly, things are unpredictable.”

People can look up their addresses online to find out if their location is being monitored for a potential shut-off at pge.com/pspsupdates.

Learn more about how you can prepare for potential shut-offs at bit.ly/3DtnGE9.

You can reach Staff Writer Matt Pera at matthew.pera@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @Matt__Pera. You can reach Staff Writer Mya Constantino at mya.constantino@pressdemocrat.com. @searchingformya on Twitter.