Sonoma County wildfire marks start of Bay Area fire season

California's extreme weather season is underway, with a fire in Sonoma County burning over 1,200 acres since Sunday.

Why it matters: Several hundred residents were ordered to evacuate, and the National Weather Service (NWS) issued a red flag warning for high elevation parts of the inner North Bay yesterday.

Driving the news: The Point Fire, which broke out around noon on Sunday near Lake Sonoma is one of a dozen that broke out across the state in the past few days.

• While the Point Fire is now at least 20% contained, low humidity and gusty winds of up to 40 mph continue to contribute to critical weather concerns for parts of Napa County, which has seen a number of small grass fires in the past few weeks, according to the NWS.

State of play: Red flag warnings are not expected for the Bay outside of Napa and Sonoma counties, but conditions in East Bay could lead to an increased chance of fires breaking out, per the NWS San Francisco Bay Area's forecast.

• Wildfires have burned over 66,000 acres this year, Cal Fire spokesperson Isaac Sanchez told Axios — more than the five-year average.

What they're saying: "As the result of two consecutive wet winters, there is a lot of additional growth, particularly of grass but also to a lesser extent that heavier brush too," UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain said on his "Weather West" YouTube livestream yesterday.

Yes, but: These early-season fires are not "yet indicative of really active conditions," Swain noted. "The winds are not as strong as they would be."

• There is also "a significant amount of dead and dying vegetation out there that is ready to burn," Sanchez told Axios.

• Sanchez urged all Californians to clear dead and dying vegetation around their homes and remove all flammable materials from within five feet of their residence.
• The conditions are "only going to get worse … It really is a matter of when and where the next fire starts."

What to watch: The weekend could bring another wave of temperatures in the 90s and 100s to the Bay Area.

• The Climate Prediction Center's forecast estimates a 60%-70% chance of above-normal temperatures in Northern and Central California from June 24 to 30.

The big picture: A record-breaking heat wave is making its way across the U.S. this week.

• While it primarily affects the eastern part of the country, much of California could still face moderate heat risk effects, which could in turn increase the likelihood of wildfires.