Widespread red flag fire warnings will be in effect in Northern California for extremely dry, gusty, north-to-northeast winds, resulting in critical fire conditions. The primary period of concern is from Wednesday morning through Friday morning, the National Weather Service said.

A ridge of high pressure continues to build along the West Coast, driving up temperatures. That heat will be augmented with additional warming and drying from offshore winds.

The strongest winds are expected from Wednesday evening through Thursday morning. Relative humidity during the daytime will plummet to the single digits and teens and will recover only to the 20% range overnight during the period.

Winds could reach about 45 mph, especially in the hills, with gusts to 55 mph over the highest ridges.

Read the full story on LATimes.com.