Windy weekend upon us: Gusts to blow through Santa Cruz area, though fire risk remains low
Quick Take
Strong, dry offshore winds are expected to blow through the Santa Cruz area beginning Friday night through Sunday morning, according to the National Weather Service.
Strong, dry offshore winds are expected to blow through the Santa Cruz area beginning Friday night through Sunday morning, according to the National Weather Service.
On Friday evening, NWS meteorologists say gusty north-northeast winds will pick up in the higher elevations of the North Bay Mountains and East Bay Hills. The peak of the wind event is expected to arrive Saturday night with the Santa Cruz Mountains seeing 15 to 25 mph winds with gusts of 30 to 45 mph.
“At this time, the strongest wind gusts are likely to remain over the region’s higher elevations” upwards of 2,500 feet, forecasters wrote. As a result, they have not issued a Wind Advisory for the event.
The winds are expected to then die down by Sunday morning.
Despite the dry conditions, recent rains have made the region’s fire risk low. However, the strong wind gusts could cause trees and branches to fall, resulting in possible power outages.