Fire Weather Watch Issued; More Dry Thunderstorms Possible

BAY AREA, CA —The National Weather Service has issued a fire weather watch from 11 a.m. Sunday to 11 a.m. Tuesday for much of Northern California, including the entire Bay Area and Central Coast.

NWS meteorologists are concerned about the possibility of erratic, gusty winds and quick-moving thunderstorms that could bring dry lightning, which is thought to have sparked the NorCal fire clusters that had scorched hundreds of thousands of acres, claimed four lives and destroyed hundreds of homes as of Friday afternoon.

These conditions are a result of Tropical Storm Genevieve — previously a hurricane — which will be moving north during the fire weather watch period, according to NWS. There is also cause for concern Saturday afternoon into Sunday morning, as an initial push of unstable weather heads over the region from north to south.

While weather conditions Sunday to Tuesday were serious enough to prompt a fire weather watch, NWS said it does not currently expect this weather event to be as extreme as last weekend's historic event, which brought nearly 4,000 lightning strikes to the Bay Area/Central Coast region.

SEE: California Skies Sparkle As Lightning Strikes

The Bay Area may see a red flag warning issued over the weekend, NWS said. Meteorologists will make the call after their Saturday morning conference calls scheduled to discuss fire weather and the latest forecast data.

Smoke from California's wildfires has spread across the state and as far as Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming, according to NWS.

With California's first responders stretched thin, the state is receiving help from firefighters in 10 other states, Gov. Gavin Newsom said during a Friday morning news conference.

See also:

• CA Fires Latest: 5 Dead, Over 770,000 Acres Burned
• Sonoma County Lightning Complex Fires
• Napa County Lightning Complex Fires
• San Mateo-Santa Cruz County Lightning Complex Fires
• East Bay, South Bay Central Valley Lightning Complex Fires
• Evacuation Warning Area Expanded For Woodward Fire In Marin