Saturday's wet weather won't be enough to alleviate wildfire risk in Bay Area

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ByMike Nicco KGO logo
Friday, December 4, 2020
Drizzle won't help wildfire risk in Bay Area
Drizzle & Wind: Bay Area faces 24-hour window of moderate-to-high fire risk due to gusty winds, starting Sunday night.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Wet weather in the Bay Area forecast is welcome news during this time of year, especially after a very dry start to the rainy season, but Saturday's light showers won't be enough to help the situation locally, says ABC7 News Meteorologist Mike Nicco.

"We are taking a couple hundredths of an inch of rain, so it's going to do nothing for the drought," added Nicco. "It won't help the fire danger, which is actually going to be enhanced on the backside of this cold front."

Sprinkles are possible around 9 p.m. Saturday in the North Bay and then drizzle during the overnight hours.

The National Weather Service has not issued any "warning" or "watches", but Nicco says the wind is going to be a concern this weekend.

"We have about a 24-hour window of a moderate-to-high fire risk," said Nicco.

Gusty winds are expected to develop Sunday night, moving into northern Napa County by midnight before spreading across the North Bay during the overnight hours.

Windy conditions will then spread across the rest of the Bay Area Monday morning.

"That means the fire danger will be highest during the daylight hours," said Nicco. "Once the sun starts to set, those winds will retreat and start to taper by 1 a.m. Tuesday."