Bay Area Issues Heat Alert and Red Flag Warning as PG&E Cuts Power Ahead of 60 mph Gusts
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 11
Bay Area Issues Heat Alert and Red Flag Warning as PG&E Cuts Power Ahead of 60 mph Gusts
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 11
Summary
San Francisco is forecast to hit 82 degrees Thursday—16 degrees above normal—while inland valleys climb into the 90s and some higher elevations near 100, prompting a Bay Area heat alert.
A red flag warning runs from 11 p.m. Wednesday to 9 a.m. Thursday in mountains north of the Bay and parts of the East Bay Hills, where dry fuels and gusts up to 45 mph—locally above 60 mph—could rapidly spread fires.
PG&E has pre-emptively shut off electricity to some homes and businesses in high-risk areas, and East Bay parks have banned campfires, barbecues, welding and off-road driving.
Fire officials said people, not lightning, are the main threat: about 90% of fires are human-caused, from sparks generated by routine work or vehicles.
The hot spell is expected to be brief, with cooler air arriving by Sunday and San Francisco forecast to return to 71 degrees.