With dry weather set to continue in California, windy conditions will spark concern for high
fire danger more than once this week.A high pressure setting up in the Rockies for the second half of the weekend will be the cause of breezier conditions Sunday in much of California.
In Northern California, winds will come from the northeastern corner into the Sacramento Valley. In combination with the already dry conditions, an elevated fire threat is expected into Sunday.The gusty winds, and thus the fire danger, are also likely to filter into Southern California"An elevated fire danger is expected with locally breezy to windy conditions in the mountains and upper deserts, especially Sunday," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Pydynowski.This week, a cold front set to unleash more snow in the northern Rockies will bring an even windier set up for
California for the middle of the week.
"Windy conditions and the low humidity, combined, will bring a more enhanced fire threat across not just California, but much of the West, including Nevada,
Utah and
Arizona," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Eric Leister.The greatest fire threat, however, will be confined to the usual spots in the Sacramento Valley and parts of the L.A. Basin.Depending on how strong the high in the Rockies gets, this could lead to a Santa Ana wind event for parts of Southern California, with wind gusts of 50 to 60 mph.
Winds of this speed would be capable of producing downed trees and power lines. Sparks from downed lines and transformers could spark a fire as well.Throughout the week, people should exercise extreme caution with potential ignition sources, such as outdoor campfires, power equipment and cigarette butts.A small spark fueled by a strong wind could quickly become an uncontrollable inferno in just a few minutes.Having an emergency bag on hand can save valuable time should a rapidly spreading fire force a quick evacuation of your property.Download the free AccuWeather app to see the forecast for your location. Keep checking back for updates on AccuWeather.com andstay tuned to the AccuWeather Networkon DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.