Fire Watch Issued for Weekend
The National Weather Service has issued a weekend Fire Weather Watch for the entire NewsChannel 3 coverage area, including the Santa Barbara front country and mountains.
The watch begins at 9:00 Friday night and runs until 6:00 p.m. Sunday. During that time, temperatures and winds are expected to increase and relative humidity is expected to decrease. A Red Flag Warning may develop as a result of the predicted weather pattern.
Winds of 15 to 25 mph with gusts to 35 mph are expected. The predicted relative humidity is expected to be in the single digit range.
The combination of very low relative humidity and gusty offshore winds will bring a significant threat of critical fire weather to the area. Extremely dry fuel conditions already in place would allow for rapid fire growth potential during this wind event.
Fire Weather Watches are typically issued 12 to 72 hours in advance of potential critical fire weather conditions.
The Santa Barbara County Fire Department released a statement telling NewsChannel 3 it will be evaluating staffing needs during the affected time.
Updates will be provided as they become available.
