By admin 
The National Weather Service upgraded a fire weather watch to a red flag warning Friday for much of the Sacramento Valley and northern San Joaquin Valley, citing strong winds and very low humidity that could rapidly spread wildfires through Monday evening.
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A red flag warning will be in effect from 5 a.m. Saturday through 8 p.m. Monday for much of the northern Central Valley, stretching from Redding south to Turlock, west to Vallejo and east to Auburn, including Sacramento, Stockton, Modesto and Redding.
The weather service said minimum daytime humidity will range from 7% to 15%, with overnight humidity recovering to 30% to 55%. North winds are expected to reach 20 to 30 mph, with gusts up to 45 mph and isolated gusts to 50 mph in the far western Sacramento Valley. Forecasters said winds are expected to peak Sunday, when there is a 65% to 95% chance that gusts will exceed 40 mph. Although winds are expected to weaken Monday, dry conditions and low humidity will keep fire weather concerns elevated through the evening.
The greatest fire danger is along and west of the Interstate 5 corridor in the Sacramento Valley, according to the weather service. The strongest winds are expected Saturday night through Sunday.
Public safety power shutoffs possible
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 parts of Northern California as early as Sunday.
The utility said shutoffs are possible in portions of Yolo, Colusa, Glenn, Lake, Napa, Sonoma and Tehama counties, where strong winds and dry vegetation could increase the risk that damaged power lines spark wildfires. The window for PSPS outages could last through Tuesday, the utility said.
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.
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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.
Fire weather watch remains in southern Central Valley
Sacramento is forecast to reach a high of 84 degrees Saturday, 82 degrees Sunday and 87 degrees Monday, according to the weather service. Temperatures are expected to remain above normal through the forecast period, with widespread minor heat risk in the Valley.
This weekend’s red flag warning comes after the weather service issued a fire weather watch Thursday for the same time period. It was escalated to a red flag warning Friday morning.
A fire weather watch remains in effect for the southern Central Valley, including Fresno. That watch extends from south of Turlock to just south of Bakersfield.
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This story was originally published May 15, 2026 at 11:29 AM.