Almost all of Northern California, including the Bay Area, will come under heightened wildfire risk by the end of the summer, says the seasonal report issued by federal fire officials.
Drought is a significant factor in the June 1 forecast from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Maps for the next four months indicate the area of above-normal risk of significant wildfires will extend by September to all but a few areas of Northern California plus all of the Sierra Nevada and a strip along the coast all the way to the Mexican border.
The drought, which “continues to intensify in California,” is the “most expansive and intense” for the West this century, the report says, citing the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Brown tone, indicating “exceptional drought,” now includes parts of Contra Costa and Alameda counties.