Red Flag Warnings cover much of western Nevada and a slice of Northern California heading into Friday. Gusty winds and bone-dry air are combining to create dangerous fire weather.
The NWS Reno office upgraded an earlier Fire Weather Watch straight to a Warning. Any fire that starts under these conditions could spread before crews can contain it.
Nevada’s Sierra Front: Carson City, Douglas and Beyond
The Northern Sierra Front zone runs from noon to 10 PM Friday. It covers Carson City, Douglas, Storey, Southern Washoe, Western Lyon, and far southern Lassen counties.
Southwest to west winds of 20 to 30 mph, gusting to 45 mph, are expected. Humidity could drop as low as 17 percent in the afternoon.
A second zone, the Southern Sierra Front, shares the same timeline. Alpine, northern Mono, southern Lyon and western Mineral counties are included.
Nevada’s Desert Basins: Lahontan and West Humboldt
Further east, the West Humboldt Basin in Pershing County and the Lahontan Basin, including Churchill and eastern Mineral counties, share the same noon-to-10 PM window.
Winds there run slightly lighter, 15 to 25 mph with gusts to 40 mph. Humidity could fall to just 12 percent in the afternoon before winds shift northerly overnight.
Modoc County, California
The NWS Medford office has its own Red Flag Warning for Modoc County, outside the Surprise Valley. It runs from 2 PM to 8 PM Thursday, a day ahead of the Nevada warnings.
Southwest winds of 12 to 20 mph, gusting to 35 mph, combine with humidity as low as 11 percent. Any fire that develops there will likely spread rapidly.
What Residents Should Do
Avoid anything that can throw a spark near dry vegetation. That includes yard work, target shooting, and campfires.
Follow local fire restrictions in your county. Many areas have specific rules in place during Red Flag conditions.
Make sure you’re signed up for your county’s emergency alert system. A Red Flag Warning doesn’t mean a fire is burning, only that conditions favor rapid spread if one starts.
Cooler weather is on the way behind this system. Check weather.gov/reno or weather.gov/medford for updates.
