When wind events peak, the risk is highest. “The fuels are very crisp,” said John Abatzoglou, a climatologist at UC Merced.Ī laundromat burns at the Journey’s End mobile home park during the Tubbs Fire in Santa Rosa on Oct. By the fall, high temperatures and low humidity have typically transformed grasses, shrubs and other vegetation into prime fodder for wildfires. Rain is usually scant during the summer, due to California’s Mediterranean climate. In the Bay Area, red-flag warnings tend to peak during September and October. “And the warning means you should have your preparations made and you’re ready to go, if necessary.” “The watch is the time to get ready,” said Ryan Walbrun, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service Bay Area office. That’s why the National Weather Service issues fire weather watches and red-flag warnings when the relative humidity is low and winds could potentially fan flames. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service. “The worst fire days are the ones with strong dry winds,” said Brian Potter, a research meteorologist with the U.S. There’s a standard recipe for rapid wildfire spread: vigorous winds and low humidity. But scientists have uncovered how weather can drive two major types of extreme wildfires that happen in California: wind-driven blazes that tear across landscapes and plume-dominated infernos that blast smoke skyward. Fire behavior is complicated, depending on everything from topography to the dryness of twigs and shrubs.
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