High temperatures in the upper 90s and 100s are expected to blanket the Bay Area this weekend, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a Red Flag warning amid concern of new wildfires.
The Red Flag warning will be in effect from 9 p.m. Saturday through 8 a.m. Monday in the East Bay's interior valleys, according to the National Weather Service.
Wind gusts of up to 45 mph over the weekend and low humidity are expected to pair with the high temperatures to increase the danger of fires sparking along the Interstate Highway 680 corridor, state Highway 4 corridor and Interstate Highway 580 east of Altamont.
Firefighters across the state continue to battle 25 major wildfires, many of which were sparked during the last West Coast heat wave in mid-August, including the LNU and SCU Lightning Complex fires.
The LNU complex, which is burning in Napa, Sonoma, Solano, Lake, Colusa and Yolo counties, is 98% contained, according to Cal Fire. The complex has burned an estimated 363,220 acres, to date.
The SCU complex, which has burned nearly 400,000 acres in Contra Costa, Alameda, Santa Clara, San Joaquin, Merced and Stanislaus counties, is also 98% contained, Cal Fire said Friday.
Neither fire complex is expected to grow during the heat wave, but firefighters continue their efforts to fully contain both complexes.
More than 8,000 wildfires across the state have burned more than 3.6 million acres combined in 2020, according to Cal Fire.
