Red flag warning in CA expanded as winds raise wildfire risk; power shutoffs possible
The National Weather Service expanded a red flag warning early Saturday to cover the entire Central Valley from Redding to Bakersfield, including the Sacramento region, citing strong winds and very low humidity that could cause any fires that start to spread rapidly through Monday evening.
The warning is in effect from 5 a.m. Saturday through 8 p.m. Monday for the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys, and adjacent foothills. That includes areas around Fresno, Modesto, Merced, Stockton and Chico, according to meteorologists.
Forecasters said north winds of 20 to 30 mph are expected across much of the valley, with gusts of 35 to 45 mph and isolated gusts up to 50 mph around the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and the western Sacramento Valley. Relative humidity is forecast to drop as low as 7% to 15% in Northern California and to 15% or lower by Monday in the southern San Joaquin Valley.
The highest fire danger is expected along and west of Interstate 5, where dry grasses and gusty winds could fuel fast-moving wildfires.
The Sacramento office of the weather service said the warning covers a broad swath of the northern Central Valley, including Redding, Sacramento, Stockton, Modesto and Turlock. At 3:57 a.m. Saturday, the Hanford office expanded the warning south to include Fresno, Visalia, Bakersfield and the rest of the San Joaquin Valley.
“Any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly,” the Hanford office said. “Outdoor burning is not recommended.”
The strongest winds are expected Saturday night through Sunday. Although winds are forecast to weaken Monday, critically dry conditions will keep fire danger elevated into the evening.
Sacramento is expected to reach a high near 84 degrees Saturday, 82 Sunday and 87 Monday, according to the weather service. Temperatures are forecast to remain above normal, with widespread minor heat risk across the Valley.
Public safety power shutoffs expanded
Pacific Gas and Electric Co. said it has activated its Emergency Operations Center and is monitoring weather conditions that could trigger public safety power shutoffs, or PSPS outages, in seven Northern California counties as early as Sunday. On Saturday, the utility expanded the PSPS alert to eight more counties, mostly in Central California.
The utility said shutoffs are possible in portions for Alameda, Colusa, Contra Costa, Fresno, Glenn, Lake, Merced, Napa, San Benito, San Joaquin, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Tehama and Yolo counties.
PG&E developed the shutoff program after its equipment was blamed for some of California’s most destructive wildfires, including the 2018 Camp Fire in Butte County. The blaze killed 85 people and destroyed most of Paradise. PG&E later pleaded guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter.
During a PSPS event, PG&E proactively turns off electricity to selected power lines in high fire-risk areas when forecasts call for a dangerous combination of strong winds, low humidity and dry fuels. The outages can affect entire communities or isolated neighborhoods, depending on which circuits are deemed at risk.
The utility said decisions are based on weather forecasts, vegetation dryness and real-time conditions, and that not every customer in an affected county will necessarily lose power.
As of Friday, PG&E said 448 of its 788 circuits in high fire-risk areas were operating with Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings, which can automatically shut off power when a line is damaged or contacts vegetation. Another 30 circuits were operating under buffer-only settings.
This story was originally published May 15, 2026 at 11:29 AM with the headline "Red flag warning in CA expanded as winds raise wildfire risk; power shutoffs possible."
