Dry diablo winds gusting up to 55 mph will continue to lash San Joaquin County and other parts of Northern California into Saturday, the National Weather Service reported.
An initial wind advisory was issued by the weather service for the Delta and western side of the northern San Joaquin and south Sacramento Valleys from 11 p.m. Thursday to 11 p.m. Friday. It was expanded to include the Sierra and extended through 5 p.m. Saturday.
“The wind and the low humidity will combine (to) bring critical fire weather conditions,” the weather service said in issuing a red flag warning for the area. “Dry and gusty winds (will) linger into Saturday, though wind speeds and gusts will begin to lessen throughout the day.”
Pacific Gas & Electric, which serves San Joaquin County, announced the possibility of power shutoffs to make sure that no wildfires spark in the event of downed power lines. The precaution covers a broad swath of Northern California, but as of Friday morning, San Joaquin County had not been affected.
On Friday, about 13,000 customers were without electricity. The utility began cutting power Thursday evening to customers in 12 counties, including Alameda, Contra Costa, Napa, Solano and Sonoma in the Bay Area, PG&E said. Customers farther north in Colusa, Glenn, Tehama and Shasta counties also were affected. About 20,000 customers could lose power temporarily in the next couple of days, PG&E said in a statement Thursday.
The diablos — Spanish for “devil” — are hot winds that blow from the interior toward the coast as high pressure builds over the West. They are common this time of year across the upper half of California. In the southern part of the state, they are generally called Santa Ana winds and move in the opposite direction of the normal onshore flow that carries moist air from the Pacific Ocean into the region.
Both diablo and Santa Ana winds pose significant fire threats. They have sparked fires that have destroyed hundreds of homes and burned thousands of acres in past years.
The winds are not expected to have the same ferocity in Southern California as in Northern California, the Associated Press reported. In the Los Angeles area, winds are expected to gust 25-40 mph, mostly in the mountain and foothill areas.
“I think it’s going to be more moderate,” Mike Wofford, an NWS meteorologist in Ventura told the AP. “But the risk is still there.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.