With gusting winds, triple-digit temperatures and almost zero chance of rain in Northern California this week, scorching weather poses a persistent threat to firefighters battling out-of-control blazes on parched land, officials said.
"Unfortunately, they're not going to get a break anytime soon," said Brian Hurley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Centre in College Park, Maryland.
"It's pretty doggone hot and dry and it's going to stay that way," Hurley said early Monday.
Some areas in Central and Northern California could see 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 Celsius) and winds of 15 mph (24 kph) with higher gusts that could fan the flames and spread embers, he said.
A massive, out-of-control Northern California wildfire called the Mendocino Complex Fire destroyed 68 homes.
