Chance of dry lightning prompts Bay Area fire weather watch

The chance of lightning sparking new wildfires has caused the National Weather Service to issue a fire weather watch for parts of the Bay Area beginning Sunday afternoon and ending Monday morning, the agency said.

The weather watch covers the North Bay mountains, East Bay hills, Diablo Range and Santa Cruz mountains, beginning at 5 p.m. Sunday and lasting through 11 a.m. Monday, according to the weather service.

A weather watch is different from a red flag warning. The weather watch comes first, and if conditions become more severe, a red flag warning is issued.

The agency said there is a slight, or “low-end,” chance of thunderstorms occurring, and “it’s not a slam-dunk by any means, but the impacts could be big if lightning occurs.”