North Bay mountains under fire watch through Wednesday

The National Weather Service has issued a fire weather watch that will be in effect Monday through Wednesday for the North Bay mountains due to expected hot, dry, windy weather.

According to the weather service, there’s a high likelihood of north to northeast offshore winds and lower-than-normal humidity levels between 11 p.m. Monday and 8 a.m. Wednesday, particularly at elevations above 1,000 feet in Napa and northeastern Sonoma counties.

Wind gusts are expected as high as 40 mph, with sustained winds between 15 and 25 mph, according to the weather service. Winds are expected to be highest during the overnight hours of Monday and Tuesday.

Solid fuels in the area are at a near-record dryness and are expected to heighten the risk of fires developing in the two counties, weather service officials said.

A second wind event is also expected later this week, but the weather service is not yet confident of the timing, wind speeds or areas affected. The second wind event would potentially affect the North and East Bay mountains from Wednesday evening though Friday morning.

Bay Area residents can visit weather.gov/BayArea for up-to-date weather forecasts.