Fire Weather in the Berkeley Hills

Live National Weather Service warnings over Berkeley, what the Fire Department asks of hills residents, and the ten zones asked to leave early.

[data-tool-body-wait]{display:none}This part of the page needs JavaScript, and this browser isn’t running it. Everything else on the page still reads.

This still hasn’t loaded. It looks stuck rather than slow, so reloading is worth a try now.

Reload the page Other tools for Berkeley

About these tools

Town Tools builds free, public tools for Berkeley and towns around the world. AI researches each place from local sources and keeps the tools up to date; residents suggest new ones and report corrections.

The National Weather Service has an alert in force for Berkeley and the East Bay hills

As of Sat, October 31 at 1:33 AM.

Yellow

Coastal Flood Advisory

* WHAT...Up to 1.9 ft of inundation above ground level is possible in low-lying areas near shorelines and tidal waterways. * WHERE...Bay Shoreline locations of San Pablo Bay, San Francisco Bay, and Monterey Bay. * WHEN...Until 6 PM PDT Sunday. * IMPACTS...High tides will result in flooding of low-lying infrastructure, isolated road closures, and coastal erosion. Rising tides will bring water and waves farther up the beach than normal, restricting escape from beaches and coastal areas. More substantial impacts are expected along bayshore Marin County where increased flooding is anticipated across low lying areas. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...At the San Francisco tidal gauge, high tide is expected to be 1.5 feet above normal (7.3 ft MLLW) at 03:44 PM on Saturday 10/31, and 1.0 ft above normal (6.8 ft MLLW) on Sunday 11/01 at 3:59 PM. These predictions include up to 1.5 ft of surge that will enhance the astronomical tide and flooding threat. High tide varies up to 90 minutes earlier or later along the Pacific Coast and through the San Francisco Bay, respectively.

What to do

If travel is required, allow extra time as some roads may be closed. Do not drive around barricades or through water of unknown depth. Take the necessary actions to protect flood-prone property.

Valid from: Fri, October 30 at 3:58 PM
Until: Sun, November 1 at 6:00 PM
Area: San Francisco; North Bay Interior Valleys; San Francisco Bay Shoreline; Northern Monterey Bay; Southern Monterey Bay and Big Sur Coast
Last updated: Fri, October 30 at 3:58 PM

Where to check, before and during

AC Alert — register for emergency alertsAlameda County's emergency messaging system, and the one Berkeley uses. Register your address and cell number; evacuation warnings and orders are sent by zone.

Berkeley Emergency Map — find your evacuation zoneType your address to see your zone and whether it is a Leave Early Zone. Do it on a calm day.

Genasys Protect appSends your zone's status to your phone as it changes.

Berkeley Fire Department — fire weather and evacuationThe city's own page: what Extreme Fire Weather means, who is asked to leave early, and what to do on a Red Flag day.

PG&E — wildfire safety and power shutoffsPG&E may switch off power during a high-wind event to stop its lines starting a fire. Check whether your address is in scope and add your contact details so you are told.

National Weather Service — San Francisco Bay AreaThe forecast office that issues the warnings on this page, with the discussion behind them.

Get an email when a warning is issued

Official warnings, forwarded the moment the national service issues one for the area — headline and all, in its own words. Nothing in between. No account, one-click unsubscribe.

Worth knowing

A Red Flag Warning is not the day the city asks you to leave

Two different things get called a fire-weather warning here and they come from two different places. A Red Flag Warning is issued by the National Weather Service when conditions across the East Bay would let a fire spread fast — that is what this page shows. Extreme Fire Weather is declared by the Berkeley Fire Department, for Berkeley alone, and the city says it is used rarely and only when there is strong confidence that dangerous fire weather will reach the city. An Extreme Fire Weather declaration will not appear on this page. It reaches you through AC Alert, so sign up before you need it.

The Leave Early Zones

Ten evacuation zones cover the Upper Berkeley Hills and Panoramic Hill: BER-006, BER-007, BER-008, BER-015, BER-016, BER-017, BER-030, BER-031, BER-057 and BER-058. During Extreme Fire Weather the Fire Department asks people who live in them to leave before any fire starts and stay somewhere else for the day. The reason is the streets, not the brush: a fire that starts on one of those days can move faster than the hills can empty. Look your own zone up on a calm afternoon at protect.genasys.com/search and write it down somewhere you will find it — an evacuation order names zones, not addresses.

What the city asks of hills residents on a Red Flag day

Keep your phone on and with you. Back the car into the driveway so you can drive straight out. Keep a go-bag by the door. Check in with your neighbors. On an Extreme Fire Weather day, do all of that and pack the car as well. If you are in the hills but not in a Leave Early Zone, the Fire Department still suggests going early when any of these is true: your street has only one way in and out; your household would need help from outside the neighborhood to pack and go; you would be leaving the hills on foot or by bike; or you would simply rather not be caught in an emergency evacuation.

From a cell phone, 911 may not reach Berkeley first

Calling 911 from a cell phone anywhere in the Bay Area usually lands at the Highway Patrol's regional dispatch, which then transfers you. (510) 981-5911 goes straight to Berkeley police and fire dispatch. It is worth putting in your phone now. For anything that is not happening right now, the non-emergency line is .