"Only going to get worse": Sonoma County wildfire marks start of Bay Area fire season

California's extreme weather season is underway, with a fire in Sonoma County burning over 1,200 acres since Sunday.

Why it matters: Several hundred residents were ordered to evacuate , and the National Weather Service (NWS) issued a red flag warning for high elevation parts of the inner North Bay yesterday.

Driving the news: The Point Fire , which broke out around noon on Sunday near Lake Sonoma is one of a dozen that broke out across the state in the past few days.

• While the Point Fire is now at least 20% contained, low humidity and gusty winds of up to 40 mph continue to contribute to critical weather concerns for parts of Napa County, which has seen a number of small grass fires in the past few weeks, according to the NWS.

State of play: Red flag warnings are not expected for the Bay outside of Napa and Sonoma counties, but conditions in East Bay could lead to an increased chance of fires breaking out , per the NWS San Francisco Bay Area's forecast.

• Wildfires have burned over 66,000 acres this year, Cal Fire spokesperson Isaac Sanchez told Axios — more than the five-year average .

What they're saying: "As the result of two consecutive wet winters, there is a lot of additional growth, particularly of grass but also to a lesser extent that heavier brush too," UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain said on his "Weather West" YouTube livestream yesterday.

Yes, but: These early-season fires are not "yet indicative of really active conditions," Swain noted. "The winds are not as strong as they would be."

• There is also "a significant amount of dead and dying vegetation out there that is ready to burn," Sanchez told Axios.
• Sanchez urged all Californians to clear dead and dying vegetation around their homes and remove all flammable materials from within five feet of their residence.
• The conditions are "only going to get worse … It really is a matter of when and where the next fire starts."

What to watch: The weekend could bring another wave of temperatures in the 90s and 100s to the Bay Area.

• The Climate Prediction Center's forecast estimates a 60%-70% chance of above-normal temperatures in Northern and Central California from June 24 to 30.

The big picture: A record-breaking heat wave is making its way across the U.S. this week.

• While it primarily affects the eastern part of the country, much of California could still face moderate heat risk effects, which could in turn increase the likelihood of wildfires.

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