KCRA 3 Fire Threat Index Tool: Track fire conditions across Northern California regions

There are many factors that go into predicting the day to day threat of fire here in northern California such as wind humidity and fuel moisture. However, we do take into consideration some big picture factors such as prolonged recent heat spells has that dried out our vegetation. We also consider recent drought are the trees stressed from years of water restriction and when it comes to wind, not all affect us the same. Yes, *** breeze will carry flames and increase fire danger. But an onshore wind carries more humidity that to our north wind which can drop our humidity to very low levels, sometimes 5 to 10%. And that can lead to fuels that are primed to burn. Also taken into consideration the threat of lightning in the area without much wetting rain. What you will see on air and online is our fire threat index which takes into account factors like these plus the daily components that can lead to higher fire danger. First, we look at conditions such as how strong the wind will be and how much humidity is present and how much moisture in the fuel or grass brush that could increase fire growth. It all leads to the overall fire index. We're even able to pinpoint where we have higher fire fire danger in different areas such as the foothills, coastal hills or Sierra. That way you can be aware of how high fire danger is in different parts of Northern California.