Clearing skies this week come at price of increased fire danger

There’s a possibility for a break in the smoke coming late Monday and into Tuesday as a cold front shifts the winds to the southwest.

But while bringing clearer skies and slightly cooler temperatures, it will also bring the chance of more fires.

Smoke on Sunday increased into the unhealthy range on Sunday evening as the Dixie Fire continued to rage near Lake Almanor. Visibility at Minden-Tahoe Airport dropped down to 3 miles around lunchtime Sunday.

The fire grew another 14,819 acres to 867 square miles on Sunday as it burned northeast to within nine miles of Highway 395 near Honey Lake.

More than 6,500 firefighters have a line around 31 percent of the conflagration that has claimed 1,113 structures and cost $246 million.

The high temperature in Minden hit 100 degrees for the sixth time this year, according to the National Weather Service.

Monday could see the seventh 100-degree day of the year before the wind picks up out of the west in the afternoon. It’s forecast to shift southwest at 15-20 mph, gusting to 30 mph into early Tuesday morning.

Those same winds have prompted the Weather Service to issue a fire weather watch for 2-11 p.m. Tuesday for low humidity and gusty winds.

On the other side of the front, the high temperature is expected to drop into the mid-80s and slowly recover into the low 90s by next weekend.