Northern California emerged Thursday from its one-day transformation into Mars, as the fiery red-orange glow that blanketed the region gave way to a more typical gray overcast, although yellowish orange tints remained in Lake County, a byproduct of fires still burning in the region.
By this weekend, it may even be OK to breathe it in in some areas of Northern California.
“We’re gonna see an increase in the on-shore winds that come from the ocean,” National Weather Service meteorologist Steve Anderson said Thursday afternoon. “It won’t be enough to blow this smoke out of the area, but it should be enough that we see some difference.”
The difference Thursday afternoon from the previous 24 hours could be seen in the mostly unhealthy air readings that blanketed the region.
Lake County Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace advised: “While we know that this is an added burden for everyone who has been dealing with the risks from COVID for all of these months, we definitely encourage folks to pay attention to the air quality and to take steps to protect themselves and their families.”
The Lake County Air Quality Management Department noted residents should follow these general precautions to protect your health during a smoke event:
• Minimize or stop outdoor activities, especially exercise.
• Stay indoors with windows and doors closed as much as possible.
• Do not run fans that bring smoky outdoor air inside – examples include swamp coolers, wholehouse fans, and fresh air ventilation systems.
• Run your air-conditioner only if it does not bring smoke in from the outdoors. Change the standard air conditioner filter to a medium or high efficiency filter. If available, use the “re-circulate” or “recycle” setting on the unit.
• Do not smoke, fry food, or do other things that will create indoor air pollution.
Updated guidance from the CDC is available on reducing wildfire smoke exposure given COVID-19 considerations: https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/covid-19/reduce_exposure_to_wildfire_smoke_covid-19.html
Bay Area blanketed with unhealthy air readings
By 9 a.m., the air from Berkeley to Oakland to San Pablo was blanketed with unhealthy air readings above 150 as measured by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. So, too, was the air in Sebastopol in the North Bay. Redwood City, Concord, Vallejo, Napa and San Rafael all measured the fine particulate matter above 100, a figure considered unhealthy for everyone.
In San Jose, the air was moderately unhealthy but heading in the wrong direction.
A Spare the Air remained in effect through Friday, extending to 25 the record streak of consecutive days that wood-burning has been illegal. The old record was 14.
“Unfortunately, we think as the day progresses, more smoke is going to drop to the ground, and we’re going to have more widespread unhealthy air,” air district spokeswoman Kristine Roselius said. “It’s going to drop into the South Bay.”
On Wednesday, ash rained down and the thick smoke layer high in the atmosphere blotted out the sun, turning the sky in the region red, orange and yellow. That surreal look made the air appear to be much worse than it was, and official air readings around the region showed the fine particulate matter to be mostly low with some places only moderately high.
The on-shore flow this weekend is expected to increase the winds gradually and offer a “tiny speck of hope” that the air will be significantly better by the weekend, Roselius said.
Roger Gass, another meteorologist for the weather service, said the marine layer that rested between the smoke and the ground on Wednesday became thicker, causing it to mix with the the fine smoke particles. The marine layer gathered those particles and dropped them closer to the ground.
For that reason, the air readings figure to go up.
“We anticipate more unhealthy readings, as opposed to hazardous,” Roselius said. “But that said, wildfire smoke is really unpredictable, and there’s an absolute blanket of smoke over the entire state of California. It’s really thick, and it’s everywhere.”
The smoke has accumulated from 28 fires burning in the state, as well as from fires in Oregon and Washington. It is extended about 100 miles over the Pacific Ocean and stretches through the entire state, Gass said.
The smoke again factored into keeping temperatures cool. Gass said inland areas were originally forecast in weather models to reach the upper 70s in the region’s hottest areas but that they likely might not make it past the low 70s.
Forecasters also are keeping their eye on a low-pressure trough that is traveling from the Pacific Northwest that could be powerful enough to cause some rain by the middle of next week.
“It’s a slight chance,” Anderson said. “But it won’t be enough to make a difference with regard to the fires.”
