Bay Area's first red flag warning of 2021 issued Mother's Day weekend

(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

(SAN FRANCISCO) The National Weather Service on Friday issued the Bay Area's first red flag warning of the year this Mother's Day weekend.

High, dry winds and warm temperatures are forecasted to start at 11 p.m. on Friday and last through 6 a.m. on Monday in the North and East Bay hills, as well as East Bay interior valleys.

A red flag warning, the highest alert, urges residents to remain extremely cautious as weather conditions could make it easier for wildfires to erupt. A simple spark can cause a major wildfire, Cal Fire said in a statement.

Officials say the warning is potentially the first of many this fire season after an unusually dry rainy season comes to a close, leaving behind dry grasses and brushes. This year, California concluded its driest April since 1985, according to a California Department of Water Resources report.

This is the second red flag warning ever issued in May, after the first was in 2013.

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