Fire Weather Watch Issued For East Bay Hills, Diablo Range

EAST BAY, CA — Weather will pose a danger to Bay Area residents starting Friday with a higher risk for rip currents and an increased wildfire risk starting Saturday in the hills and mountains of the North Bay and the East Bay, according to the National Weather Service.

A larger northwest swell will visit beaches starting early Friday morning, bringing with it larger waves and raising the risk for rip currents.

Heat, low humidity and higher winds, especially in higher terrain, will raise the risk for wildfires as the area recovers from an earlier than expected fire season.

A fire weather watch goes into effect at 11 a.m. Saturday for the North Bay mountains and East Bay hills.

"Those areas are usually the most vulnerable," said Gerry Diaz, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

That's because higher winds are expected in those areas, he said, along with poor humidity recovery overnight.

In the highest peaks 50 mph gusts are possible along with temperatures in the 90s to 100.

The National Weather Service San Francisco Bay Area said northeast winds 10 to 20 mph on Saturday will increase Saturday night into Sunday morning with frequent gusts 40 to 50 mph, with the highest threat to Mount Diablo, the Diablo Range and the East Bay hills above 1,000 feet.

The fire weather watch, meaning critical fire weather conditions are forecast to occur, is expected to remain in effect until Monday morning. Residents should stay informed about forecasts and possible red flag warnings, forecasters said.

Any fires that develop will spread rapidly in the hot, dry and windy weather.

Hundreds of thousands of acres have burned already this year in and around the Bay Area. Winds help to spread fires, and contributing to the increased risk for fires will be the poor overnight humidity recoveries, which means the vegetation will be drier.

"Dry and hot," Diaz said. "That set's up a dangerous situation where all it takes is one spark to get things going."

Inland Bay Area locations will see temperatures rise 15 to 20 degrees relative to the recent milder weather. Coastal areas will see temperatures rise 10 to 15 degrees.

Bay City News Service contributed to this report.