High winds and low humidity lead to 200-acre fire in Merced. Here’s what happened
A wind event sweeping across the Central Valley raised wildfire concerns and created hazardous conditions over the weekend, though officials reported no major damage or widespread outages.
Meteorologist Alex Cooke said a low-pressure system moving south along the Nevada border intensified winds across the region, funneling dry northwest air directly through the central San Joaquin Valley of California.
Despite blowing dust observed in some areas, weather officials reported no major dust storms, downed trees or wind-driven power outages affecting large populations.
However, on Sunday, a fire broke out near East Childs Ave. and Campus Parkway in Merced, burning nearly 200 acres, according to the Merced County Office of Emergency Services.
High winds and low humidity caused the dangerous conditions, MCOES said in a Facebook post.
“When you have strong wind, it gives the fire a steady supply of fresh oxygen and makes it spread more quickly, which makes it harder to contain,” Cooke said.
Merced County and Merced City firefighters kept the fire from spreading.
While windy conditions are common this time of year, Cooke noted that fire conditions are slightly above average because vegetation dried out earlier than usual.
“The fuels have dried out a little more than they normally have at this time of year,” he said. “This kind of wind event isn’t unheard of, but it is above average.”
A Red Flag Warning remains in effect through Monday evening.
Forecasters expect winds to ease up, though hotter temperatures are expected to return, with valley highs climbing back into the upper 90s.
