Red Flag Warning Issued For Marin

MARIN COUNTY, CA — The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for most of Marin through due to increased fire danger, county officials said.

The warning starts at 5 p.m. and is expected to remain in effect through Friday at 11 a.m.

Thunderstorms forecasted with the possibility of dry lightning and erratic gusty winds that were cited for the extreme fire danger warning.

Bolinas-Fairfax Road will be closed to vehicular traffic for the duration of the red flag warning unless an emergency necessitates evacuations, the Marin County Sheriff’s Office said.

Residents are urged to exercise extreme caution, “as a simple spark could cause a major wildfire,” the Sheriff’s Office said.

The fire warning comes amid Marin and most of the American West experiencing historic drought conditions.

Persistent warm, dry weather lowered Marin Water's reservoir storage capacity to 52 percent —the lowest level in nearly 40 years.

Storage levels for this time of year are typically more than 90 percent.

Much of the West Coast, including nearly all of California, is experiencing drought conditions.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, as of Sept. 7, 93.9 percent of California is in a severe drought, 87.94 percent of the state is in an extreme drought and nearly half (45.62 percent) of the state is experiencing "exceptional drought" conditions.