Strong winds swept through the North Bay interior mountains and East Bay hills Monday, prompting warnings from weather forecasters. Gusts reached up to 78 mph overnight on Mount St. Helena as the system moved through the region.
The National Weather Service issued a wind advisory that remained in effect through 2 p.m. Monday for the affected areas. Forecasts anticipated gusts up to 55 mph during this period.
The powerful winds brought fire concerns across the landscape. Dry conditions combined with high winds can increase the risk of wildfires spreading quickly.
Residents in areas affected by the advisory faced the potential for power disruptions. Strong winds can damage power lines and equipment, leading to outages.
The combination of high winds and fire risk often leads power companies to consider proactive power shutoffs to prevent ignition. The weather event increased the potential for a PGE outage in the impacted mountain and hill communities.
Winds were expected to decrease throughout Monday afternoon. Weather conditions were forecast to become warmer and drier as the week progressed.
Weather forecasters warned Monday of the wind activity and associated concerns, according to reports. Gusts were particularly strong in higher elevations.
The advisory highlighted the susceptibility of these areas to wind events and the associated infrastructure and safety challenges.
