Urgent Fire Weather Message

From the NWS:

“URGENT – FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA
657 PM PDT FRI SEP 9 2011

…DRY LIGHTNING LIKELY IN THE EAST BAY…SOUTH BAY…AND
INTERIOR MONTEREY AND SAN BENITO COUNTIES TONIGHT AND SATURDAY…

…DRY LIGHTNING POSSIBLE LATE TONIGHT AND SATURDAY FOR THE SANTA
CRUZ MOUNTAINS…SANTA LUCIA MOUNTAINS AND LOS PADRES NATIONAL
FORREST…AND COASTAL SECTIONS OF MONTEREY AND SANTA CRUZ
COUNTIES…

…LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY RECOVERIES AND GUSTY OFFSHORE WINDS
EXPECTED IN THE NORTH BAY MOUNTAINS TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY
MORNING…
SANTA LUCIA MOUNTAINS AND LOS PADRES NATIONAL FOREST-
657 PM PDT FRI SEP 9 2011

…FIRE WEATHER WATCH NOW IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT PDT TONIGHT
THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON FOR THUNDERSTORMS WITH DRY LIGHTNING
FOR THE SANTA LUCIA MOUNTAINS AND LOS PADRES NATIONAL FORREST…

THE FIRE WEATHER WATCH IS NOW IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT PDT TONIGHT
THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON.

* AFFECTED AREA…SANTA LUCIA MOUNTAINS AND LOS PADRES NATIONAL
FOREST.

* DRY LIGHTNING…INITIALLY ANY THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE DRY WITH
GUSTY WINDS. THUNDERSTORMS WILL TRANSITION TO WET AS THE
ATMOSPHERE MOISTENS.

* THUNDERSTORMS…COVERAGE WILL BE ISOLATED WITH SOME AREAS
NOT SEEING ANY ACTIVITY AT ALL.

* IMPACTS…FUELS ARE DRY…PARTICULARLY IN THE HILLS.
THEREFORE…LIGHTNING STRIKES FROM ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS HAVE
THE POTENTIAL TO IGNITE FIRES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A FIRE WEATHER WATCH MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS
ARE FORECAST TO OCCUR. LISTEN FOR LATER FORECASTS AND POSSIBLE
RED FLAG WARNINGS.
HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/SANFRANCISCO

Many of us remember that day almost exactly 12 years ago, when lightning sparked the Kirk-Hare Complex fire (9/8/99 according to my journal) that lasted 3 months and scorched 86K acres. Here is a shot I took that night. It is not very good, but one gets the idea:
(having technical difficulties, if I can get it up tonight, I will, if not, tomorrow.)

BTW, as of 8:30 pm, a lot of downstrikes being reported in Santa Clara County, 5 small fires at last count, largest is 5 acres NW of Mt. Diablo.