LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Fall officially arrived this week, but rather than cooling off, Lake County is expected to see hot and dry conditions beginning this weekend.
The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook due to higher-than-average temperatures forecast for next week and a fire weather watch for the weekend and early next week.
The hazardous weather outlook predicts that temperatures will rise well above normal across the interior of northwest California from Saturday through Monday.
The fire weather watch is in effect from 8 p.m. Saturday through 8 a.m. Monday in elevations above 1,500 feet, especially in southeastern Lake County.
A fire weather watch means that critical fire weather conditions are forecast to occur. As such, forecasters urged area residents to listen for later forecasts and possible red flag warnings.
The forecast calls for north to northeast winds from 12 to 18 miles per hour with gusts of up to 25 miles per hour from Saturday night through Monday morning. Higher gusts are possible over the most exposed ridgetops.
Humidity will range from 10 to 20 percent in afternoons with overnight humidity from 20 to 40 percent.
The specific Lake County forecast calls for daytime highs in the 90s over the weekend and temperatures at or slightly above the century mark on Monday before dropping slightly back into the high 90s on Tuesday and Wednesday. Nighttime temperatures are forecast to be in the low 60s.
In addition, widespread haze due to the region’s wildland fires is expected to impact Lake County through the middle of next week at least, based on the forecast.
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