Hot Weather & Dry Conditions

This weekend, Santa Barbara is expected to see the highest temperatures of the year so far. Dry conditions are also expected with very low fuel moisture levels throughout most of the South Coast. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has predicted the following conditions for the Santa Barbara Coastal and Interior Areas:

FIRE WEATHER PLANNING FORECAST FOR SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOS ANGELES/OXNARD CA
330 PM PDT WED JUN 26 2013

...EXTENDED PERIOD OF RECORD BREAKING TEMPERATURES AND DRY CONDITIONS WITH ELEVATED FIRE DANGER ACROSS INLAND AREAS FRIDAY THROUGH MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK...

...GUSTY SUNDOWNER WINDS WITH HOT AND DRY CONDITIONS FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY NIGHT ACROSS SOUTHERN SANTA BARBARA COUNTY...

IN ADDITION TO THE SANTA BARBARA SOUTH COAST...ALL INTERIOR SECTIONS WILL HAVE ELEVATED FIRE DANGER DUE TO THE PROLONGED PERIOD OF VERY HOT AND DRY CONDITIONS...ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING THE VERY DRY FUEL CONDITIONS. MOUNTAIN AND FOOTHILL AREAS WILL BE ESPECIALLY VULNERABLE TO LARGE FIRE POTENTIAL AS THIS PROLONGED HOT AND DRY PERIOD WILL BRING AN INCREASED THREAT OF PLUME DOMINATED FIRES.

Read the Entire Forecast Here

As we move into the warmer months of summer it is important that homeowners and residence of the Wildland Fire Suppression Assessment District pay close attention to and Red Flag Warnings and Fire Weather forecast for their areas. As of this posting, the Santa Barbara Coastal Area is not currently under a Red Flag Warning, but citizens are still encouraged to take appropriate precautions. These precautions include, but are not limited to the following:

• Report any sign of smoke immediately to your local fire department by calling 911 (if your call 911 from your cell phone, you must know your location).
• Use extreme caution when operating spark of flame producing machinery in hazardous grass or brush areas.
• Have an evacuation plan in place and identify two exit routes from your neighborhood. If you are asked to evacuate by fire or law enforcement officials, do so immediately.
• Report any suspicious persons or vehicles to law enforcement.

Learn more about the Red Flag Alert System