Red Flag Warning extended through Friday evening
The warning covers all of Solano County until Friday at 5 p.m.
(Graphic by Solano News Update)
The National Weather Service in Sacramento extended a Red Flag Warning through Friday evening — and, for the first time this week, the warning covers all of Solano County.
The extension was issued by forecasters around 3 a.m. Wednesday and replaces a Fire Weather Watch and supplemental Red Flag Warning that was issued earlier in the week.
Forecasters with the weather agency say a combination of warm temperatures, low humidity and gusty wind will create conditions that are ripe for the sudden start and quick spread of new wildfires.
These conditions are expected to be worse than the fire weather event earlier this week, meteorologists say.
Wind up to 20 miles per hour with gusts up to 30 miles per hour are expected to start on Wednesday. That wind will pick up in speed by Friday with gusts up to 45 miles per hour — and possibly stronger in some areas.
The Red Flag Warning covers a vast swath of Northern California, including all of Solano and Yolo counties and significant portions of Napa and Sacramento counties according to a map published on the National Weather Service’s website. The warning lasts until Friday at 5 p.m.
In addition to the fire weather alert, the Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) announced this it would likely have to turn off electrical service for more than 50,000 customers throughout Northern California in an effort to prevent its equipment from starting new wildfires.
In Solano County, around 49 rural residents along the Napa County line far west of Fairfield are expected to lose power early Thursday morning, PG&E said. That number could increase to include residents in other parts of the county based on shifting weather conditions.
Customers are able to look up their specific address on PG&E’s website to determine if they are covered by the planned safety power shutoff event.
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