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Fire and rain: A tale of two coasts (with forecast video)

(Photo: Shasta County Sheriff Department)

Wildfires will continue to burn out of control this weekend in parts of California. Meanwhile, additional periods of torrential rainfall could flood parts of southern Florida.

West Coast

Wildfires have been scorching areas of California for weeks, even months in some cases. Northern California in particular has been hit hard since the region has been in various stages of a drought almost all year.

With the combination of abundant fuel for fires — brush, woods, forests, etc. — and drought, periods of windy weather and occasional heat waves, it’s not surprising that fires have easily sparked and quickly spread. These conditions will persist through the weekend, making it difficult for first responders to contain some of the wildfires.


Speaking of heat waves, possible record temperatures are in the forecast Friday from the San Francisco Bay area to Los Angeles and San Diego. Coastal highs will reach the upper 80s to mid-90s, with some inland areas cracking 100 degrees. These are 10 to 25 degrees above normal for early October. Red flag warnings, heat advisories and fire condition warnings remain in place across many portions of the state.

Weekend drivers may run into smoke and reduced visibility on sections of Interstate 5 and U.S. Highway 101 in Northern California.

As of Friday morning, sections of the following roads remain closed due to wildfires, according to the California Department of Transportation:

• State Route 70 east of Chico
• State Route 36 west of Red Bluff
• State Route 12 east of Santa Rosa
• State Route 29/128 Woodleaf to St. Helena


East Coast

Parts of south Florida have been flooded from time to time over the past couple of days. This risk will linger into the weekend and early next week.

A stationary front across the region is interacting with abundant moisture from a tropical wave in the Caribbean. The result will be additional periods of very heavy rainfall and flash flooding from the Florida Keys to Miami, West Palm Beach and areas just south of Fort Lauderdale. A flash flood watch remains posted for these areas.

Drivers may hit occasional delays on U.S. Highway 1, as well as parts of Alligator Alley (I-75) and I-95. Short-term road closures are possible.

Click here for more FreightWaves articles by Nick Austin.

Nick Austin

Nick is a meteorologist with 20 years of forecasting and broadcasting experience. He was nominated for a Midsouth Emmy for his coverage during a 2008 western Tennessee tornado outbreak. He received his Bachelor of Science in Meteorology from Florida State University, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Management from the Georgia Tech. Nick is a member of the American Meteorological Society and National Weather Association. As a member of the weather team at WBBJ-TV in Jackson, Tennessee, Nick was nominated for a Mid-South Emmy for live coverage of a major tornado outbreak in February 2008. As part of the weather team at WRCB-TV in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Nick shared the Chattanooga Times-Free Press Best of the Best award for “Best Weather Team” eight consecutive years.