Much of western Nevada and the surrounding area has been upgraded to a red flag warning due to the conditions expected for Saturday. The National Weather Service is categorizing it as a major risk level because of the likelihood it has to turn any fires sparked into more devastating wildfires.
“With those red fire conditions we are expecting potential for, there could be big fires if any fires do start based on the winds and the humidity levels. As for the wind advisory, with these winds, you know, we could see some difficult travel for high profile vehicles, especially along those wind prone locations of US 395,” said Gigi Giralte, a Meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
The National Weather Service says there is a possibility of wind gusts as high as 65 miles per hour. Those may also impact Lake Tahoe, causing choppy waters and potentially dangerous conditions for folks looking to recreate there. They say tomorrow is expected to be the windiest day the area’s experienced in months which has fire crews preparing for a bad fire day.
“When red flag warnings happen, our staff takes a look at that. We take a look at our fuel models, our energy release components, our projected flame heights. We're up staffing for tomorrow. We're going to bring additional staff on, additional dozers on,” said Josh Kurtz, Battalion Chief with Truckee Meadows Fire & Rescue. “We're doing our part to prepare in the event that we do have an emergency. And we would ask that the public also do their part.”
Doing our part means avoiding activities that can produce even a spark; like target shooting, smoking outside, and using equipment like chainsaws.
The red flag warning starts Saturday at 11:00 a.m. and ends Sunday morning at 2:00 a.m.
