To prevent accidental fires, Pacific Gas & Electric has sent notices to potentially affected customers in much of the state’s northern and central coastal region, stating that power may need to be cut to lines serving the affected areas to reduce the risk of electrical sparks. .

The National Weather Service has issued a “red flag warning” for Northern California from Thursday evening through Saturday evening, meaning “critical fire conditions are likely or imminent.” Officials are warning potentially affected residents to have a contingency plan in case a fire starts in their neighborhood.

“Diablo wind” is the local name for hot, dry winds from the northeast that sometimes affect the San Francisco Bay region and California’s central coast, especially in the spring and fall. The Southern Californian term for a similar phenomenon is the Santa Ana wind.