SLO County could see dry lightning this week. And that’s raising the wildfire risk

San Luis Obispo County can expect triple-digit temperatures, “monsoonal moisture” and dry lightning this week, according to PG&E meteorologist John Lindsey.

And that combination could prove to be a recipe for wildfire, he said.

“Whenever you have this much dry fuel, combined with warm temperatures and the possibility of dry lightning, fire danger is going to be for our area very high,” Lindsey said.

Fire danger will remain “Very High” Wednesday through Friday, before dropping down to “High” through Saturday and Sunday.

Lindsey said that the monsoonal moisture could bring rain that would help mitigate wildfire danger, but that weather models are conflicting as to whether that moisture will reach the ground or evaporate in the atmosphere.

“You’ll see a lot of rain shafts coming down, and a lot of that rain will probably evaporate before hitting the ground,” Lindsey said.

Still, he said Santa Barbara County could see rain showers on Wednesday, and SLO County could see them on Thursday and Friday, with Friday having the potential for between a tenth and a quarter of an inch of precipitation.

While the North County can expect temperatures in excess of 100 degrees just in time for the Mid-State Fair, San Luis Obispo can expect temps in the high 70s or low 80s over the next few days, “while the beaches will range between the low to high 60s,” Lindsey said.

This story was originally published July 17, 2018 at 1:11 PM.