Latest news with #RedFlagWarning
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
How to prepare for ‘wildfire season' in San Diego County
Above: FOX 5/KUSI video on wildfire emergency preparedness. SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — The so-called 'wildfire season' has become a year-round phenomenon for Southern California as the environment reacts to a changing climate. Even so, with the beginning of summer, the region is entering the time of year when risk reaches its highest points — heat leads to the drying out of vegetation, relative humidity dips and Santa Ana winds pick up to speeds capable of stoking fast-moving fires. This year has the potential to be an even more active year for brush fires than in years past, between last winter's unusual dryness and a build up of vegetation from the abnormally wet few years that preceded it. These San Diego areas now considered 'very high fire hazard' zones by Cal Fire As the peak of fire season approaches, there are a number of things San Diegans can do ahead of time to prepare for the event of a wildfire. California emergency and fire officials have repeatedly urged property owners across the state to take steps to 'harden' the space. This generally means taking steps to address vulnerabilities that could make a property more resistant to flames in the event of a wildfire. These steps include creating defensible space around structures; ensuring things like gutters, downspouts and decks are made out of noncombustible materials; installing flame and ember-resistant vents; and ensuring roofs have a Class A fire rating. Cal Fire has checklists available for property owners to help harden homes and create defensible space on its website. Another step people should take to prepare for the event of a wildfire is to sign-up for emergency alerts or opt in to some other method to automatically receive up-to-date information from officials. San Diego County centralizes these alerts, which are used for events like wildfires, floods, earthquakes and more, through AlertSanDiego. Residents need to opt-in to receive emergency notification text messages, phone calls and emails providing the latest information in the event of a disaster. This could look like updates on evacuations for a wildfire, whether a Red Flag Warning is in place, and more. The county also has a mobile app, SD Emergency, compiling these updates and other tools in one place. Some may also have preferred applications to track potential disasters outside of those made available by public entities. For instance, the wildfire tracking app, Watch Duty, has become a go-to for emergency notifications tied to ongoing firefighting efforts. Sometimes an event like a wildfire necessitates a quick getaway from one's home. Because of this, officials urge people to always have an emergency 'go bag' on hand in case disaster strikes. The go bag should have supplies to sustain the needs of you and your household for at least 72 hours — or three days. This includes things like water, non-perishable foods, blankets, a first aid kit, cash, important documents, a flashlight and dust masks, among other things. Prescription medications are also recommended to be added to a go bag, but officials suggest having a two-week supply on hand as opposed to three days. An interactive checklist is available to guide people creating an emergency supply kit on AlertSanDiego's website. Although Cal Fire has a pneumonic device — the six P's of evacuation — to help people remember what items should be ready to go in the event of an emergency: People and pets Papers, phone numbers and important documents Prescriptions, vitamins and eye glasses Pictures and irreplaceable memorabilia Personal computer, hard drive and disks 'Plastic' like credit cards and cash Wildfire Quick Links: ➡️ Forecast | 🗺️ | ⚠️ Alerts | 🌫️ | 🔥 In tandem with these supplies, officials recommend putting together a wildfire action plan, mapping out what your household plans to do in the event of an evacuation and how you plant to communicate with each other. This could look like identifying a predetermined meeting point or escape routes, figuring out boarding arrangements for any pets, and naming a point of contact for the entire family outside the high-risk area in case of separation or difficulty with phone networks. More information on how to approach crafting a wildfire action and communication plan is available on Cal Fire's website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
2 active wildfires burning in Lincoln County as Southern Nevada fire restrictions begin
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Stage 1 fire restrictions go into effect today (Friday, June 13) across federal and state lands in Southern Nevada. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) notes severe to exceptional drought conditions in the area. Above-normal potential for wildfires is expected to persist through July. Two fires are burning southeast of Ely on federal land in Lincoln County, according to a Thursday BLM post on social media. The Burnt Canyon Fire was at 1,068 acres and the Rosencrans Fire had burned 727 acres. Both fires started Wednesday about five miles apart and were 40% contained. Most wildfires are caused by people. They are preventable if the public observes simple precautions. Southern Nevada fire restrictions include: Campfires and open fires outside of designated areas. This includes charcoal grills. Use of open flames, including portable stoves and lanterns. (Exceptions: devices with shut-off valves that use gas, jellied petroleum or pressurized liquid fuel.) Smoking outdoors. Motorized vehicles or equipment use on dried vegetation. Welding and other spark-producing 'hot work.' Fireworks and explosives are always banned, as well as tracer rounds and steel ammunition, which can cause sparks. Combustion engines must have spark arrestors. The announcement comes as western Nevada is under a Red Flag Warning due to gusty winds and low humidity. The warning also applies to Washoe County, Carson City, Pershing County, Storey County, Churchill County and parts of Douglas, Lyon and Mineral counties. northeastern California. A wildfire near Sparks, Nevada, was fully contained on Thursday Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Elevated fire danger in Oregon amid thunderstorm and wind threat
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Parts of Oregon will see elevated wildfire danger today as thunderstorms and gusty winds develop this afternoon. The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning through 8 p.m. Tuesday for wind and low relative humidity in Washington's Kittitas Valley and Lower Columbia Basin of Washington. The Columbia River Gorge will see winds gusting up to 30 mph with relative humidity as low as 10 percent in the region. Due to the abundant dry fuels, any fires that start may spread rapidly. Scattered thunderstorms are also expected to develop throughout the hotter afternoon hours, both Tuesday and Wednesday, around central and southeastern Oregon. While some storms may bring heavy downpours, dry lightning will bring the risk of new wildfire starts. Temperatures remain hot through Wednesday with high temps in the 80s and 90s, further drying out burn fuels in the region. A cooler pattern arrives later in the week. However, little to no rainfall is likely across much of the state for at least the next week. Folks are urged to use extreme caution and avoid outdoor burning, especially during Red Flag Warnings and other fire alerts. Stay with the KOIN 6 Weather Team for your forecast and fire weather updates throughout fire season. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Black Hills Energy developing emergency shutoff program
(SOUTHERN COLORADO) — Black Hills Energy (BHE) is developing a program to allow the utility to shut off power in high-wildfire risk areas during 'extreme conditions.' According to BHE, the utility is preparing to launch the 'Public Safety Power Shutoff' (PSPS) program by mid-summer 2025. BHE said the PSPS program involves 'selectively and proactively' shutting off power to high-risk fire areas during extreme weather conditions until those conditions improve, with the goal of preventing electric facilities from becoming a source of wildfire ignition. 'At Black Hills Energy, the safety of our customers, employees and communities is our highest priority,' said Campbell Hawkins, vice president of Colorado utilities. 'We believe that a Public Safety Power Shutoff program is a necessary and critical tool for wildfire prevention and mitigation, particularly for utilities with high fire risk areas.' BHE said if a power line is proactively de-energized during a shutoff, it will not be turned back on until conditions improve, and until crews have inspected power lines. This process may result in outages lasting a few hours or a few days. 'Peer utilities are currently implementing and executing similar programs,' Hawkins said. 'To determine if a Public Safety Power Shutoff is necessary, Black Hills Energy will leverage industry criteria that include a combination of wind gust speeds and low relative humidity.' According to Hawkins, BHE does not intend to trigger a shutoff based only on a Red Flag Warning being issued by the National Weather Service; however Red Flag Warnings do trigger other operational responses already in place, which are outlined in the company's Wildfire Mitigation Plan. BHE said it would communicate with customers before any shutoff occurs, and said the shutoff would only be used as a last resort. During and after a PSPS event, BHE said public notifications would occur through phone calls, emails, text messages, social media, media outlets and BHE's website. BHE reminds the community to have a backup plan in place for medicine that needs to be refrigerated or medical equipment that is powered by electricity. This could mean finding a place you can go during an outage or having a backup generator. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Gusty winds and low humidity spark Red Flag Warning in parts of Northern California
( — The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning starting early morning on Monday for the Northern and Central Sacramento Valley and the adjacent northern Coastal Range. A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either happening or will happen later, NWS said. This is when a combination of strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures can start a fire that can rapidly grow in size and intensity. According to NWS, the warning comes due to gusty winds and low humidity, which will be in effect from 2 a.m. to 8 p.m. The winds are expected across the northern and central Sacramento Valley, along west of I-5, and into the northern Coastal Range. NWS stated that the speed of the winds will be 15 to 25 mph with possible gusts of 30 to 40 mph. Lucky guest wins $549K jackpot at Thunder Valley's new slot machines The humidity level is forecast to be between nine and 20 percent, with the highest threat being in the Northern Sacramento Valley. NWS asks the public to avoid and obey the following activities: Outdoor burning Do not use a lawn mower or drive on dry grass or brush Do not have vehicle parts or chains dragging on the ground Properly dispose of cigarettes and matches Obey local burn bans and evacuate if told to Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
