Update: Fire Weather Watch Issued For Mother Lode

The National Weather Service has issued a Fire Weather Watch for the Mother Lode (1,000 to 3,000 feet), the Stanislaus National Forest and the Northern San Joaquin Valley (below 1,000 feet excluding the Delta) from Sunday morning through late Monday Night.

Gusty north to northeasterly wind is expected to begin across the Coastal Range along with the northern and western Central Valley on Sunday and then spread across the Sierra Nevada on Sunday night. The combination of wind, low afternoon humidity and poor overnight recovery may create a period of increased fire starts or rapid spread.

Winds of fifteen to thirty mph are likely with gusts ranging up to forty mph.

Daytime minimum humidity will range between eight and twenty percent. Overnight recovery values will range between twenty-five and forty percent.

The most critical areas of concern will be across the exposed ridges and through wind-aligned drainages during the overnight into the morning hours.

Any fires that do develop will likely spread rapidly. Outdoor burning is not recommended and is in fact banned in the Mother Lode.

A Fire Weather Watch means that critical fire weather conditions are forecast to occur.