Historic wind gusts recorded in Bay Area, NWS says

MT ST HELENA, Calif. (KRON) -- Wind gusts in Mount Saint Helena are reaching historic levels on Tuesday morning, the National Weather Service says.

At 4:10 a.m., the NWS said it saw the strongest gust at 70 mph -- 40 minutes later, wind gusts reached 78 mph.

Tuesday's early morning wind gusts are still so far lower than the peak recorded on Sunday night, which the NWS says was 89 mph.

How did last night's wind event compare with the big wind event from Oct 27-28 of last year? In terms of maximum wind gust, it looks pretty close. Both are historical events. #cawx pic.twitter.com/KHRbwgnM1D

— NWS Bay Area (@NWSBayArea) October 27, 2020

Extreme wind gusts are dangerous as they can fan potential flames and aid in rapid spreading wildfires.

The Red Flag Warnings for the lower elevations in the Bay Area as well as Santa Cruz Mtns have been allowed to expire. But the Red Flag Warning for the North Bay Mtns and East Bay Hills continues until 5 pm Tuesday. We've also adjusted our expected winds. Stay Safe! pic.twitter.com/ID7Dd7PGk3

— NWS Bay Area (@NWSBayArea) October 26, 2020

The windy and dry conditions resulted in another Red Flag Warning for parts of the Bay Area, as is usual for wildfire season in the west. The North Bay Mountains and East Bay Hills will remain under heightened risk for wildfires until 5 p.m. on Tuesday.

PG&E had cut power on Sunday to thousands of Bay Area residents in anticipation of the strong wind gusts to prevent causing a wildfire. The utility expects to restore power by Tuesday night.

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