AnonymousSource: Montecito Fire District
The National Weather Service has declared a Red Flag Warning in effect from 6:00 p.m. today until 9:00 a.m. tomorrow October 1, 2020 for the Santa Barbara County South Coast and Mountains due to sundowner winds, high temperatures, and low humidities.
A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now or will shortly. A combination of strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior.
· Temperatures…..90-100. Very warm minimum temperatures adding to heat stress.
· Low Humidities…..Minimums 8-12%. Very poor overnight recoveries in foothills and mountains.
· Winds…..Northerly Sundowner winds 15-25 mph with gusts 35-40 mph tonight. Less winds Thursday night but similar temperatures and relative humidities.
· Expected Impacts…..Increased threat of new fire ignitions with hot and dry fuels receptive for ignition. Rapid fire spread with long range spotting, and extreme fire behavior possible with ignitions. High potential for large plume dominated fires with extreme fire behavior.
The Montecito Fire Department has increased staffing levels for the Red Flag Warning including two type VI patrols, one dispatcher and one chief officer. Additionally, there is a CalFire Type III strike team pre-positioned within the Santa Barbara County operational area.
SCE has not yet identified any potential Public Safety Power Shutoffs that would impact the Montecito community.
HAVE AN EVACUATION PLAN READY: We are currently in the “Set” period of the Ready! Set! Go! program. For more information about Ready! Set! Go! visit www.montecitofire.com/fire-prevention or click here to view the Montecito Fire Ready! Set! Go! digital guide.
REGISTER TO RECEIVE PUBLIC SAFETY ALERTS: If you haven’t registered for emergency alerts, please do so at Readysbc.org. Click on the red icon to register to receive emergency alerts via text, cell or home phone, and email.
8:15 p.m. Lower Riviera. Hot, hot winds started up about 1/2 hour ago. North-easterly and then switching to westerly. Massive thick, hot gusts quite alarming. Hot winds coming more often than earlier. If you don’t have a “go” bag ready, you should get that together right now. Local weather report stating Santa Barbara is 75ºF. now, but those hot winds are 100ºF, easy. Sleep lightly tonight.
it feels like a 3rd world country with these potential power blackouts. When will Newsom actually working on the real & immediate problems like …our power grid.
Instead he signed law banning cars by 2035 and a board room diversity rule for women. You can’t have electric cars without a reliable power grid…and by the way what do you think will power these electric cars, coal or oil fired generating plants cuz they already banned Nuclear….