California ‘diablo’ or ’devil wind’ alert: What it is and affected areas
The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning in California in anticipation of the arrival of the ‘devil wind.’ Here’s what you need to know.
The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for the state of California in anticipation of the arrival of the ‘diablo wind’ or ‘devil wind’, which could cause fires in various areas of the state.
The warning will be in effect from Thursday, Oct. 17, until Saturday, Oct. 19.
What is a ‘devil wind’?
“Diablo wind” or “Devil wind” is a term used to refer to the “warm, dry northeasterly winds that sometimes sweep through the San Francisco Bay Area and California’s central coast in the fall and winter,” according to meteorologists at USA Today. For winds originating in the south, the proper term is “Santa Ana winds.”
This phenomenon is characterized by very strong and warm gusts of wind blowing from the mountains towards the Devil’s Valley, hence the name. The devil wind is formed when cold air descends rapidly and warms as it passes over the slopes. Being dry and warm, the risk of forest fires increases, as well as the spread of explosive fires.
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“The winds are coming from the north, not the typical sea breeze that comes off the water, which would be cooler,” explained meteorologist Roger Gass of the San Francisco Bay Area office of the National Weather Service to USA Today.
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California ‘diablo wind’ or devil wind’ alert: These are the affected areas
Areas under a “red flag warning” for hot temperatures, extremely dry vegetation, strong winds of 25 to 35 mph, with gusts up to 65 mph, and fire risks range from Bradley to Cloverdale, especially Santa Cruz, Napa, Berkeley, San Jose and Big Sur.
Major fires sparked by Diablo winds include the Oakland Hills fire of 1991 and the Tubbs fire of 2017 in Napa County.