By Bruce Newman - Mercury News


The Northern California fire season, which appeared to be all but over after a full day of rain last weekend and a recent run of chilly nights, suddenly got run back up the flagpole Friday. The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning — the highest level of fire danger short of actual flames — for all of the Bay Area and the Big Sur coastal region that was devasted by the Basin Fire in July.

The weather service is forecasting sustained winds of 15 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph, until 6 p.m. today. "That is prime condition for fires," said Andrew Joros, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Monterey.

The gusty winds were playing such havoc with Navy vessels steaming toward San Francisco Bay for Fleet Week that the annual Parade of Ships, scheduled for 11:30 a.m. today, was postponed until Sunday morning "due to unfavorable water conditions," according to a statement from Mayor Gavin Newsom's communications office.

The Blue Angels' air shows at 3 p.m. today and Sunday will go on as scheduled.

Spotted here