Spare the Air alert issued today.
Residents advised to stay indoors; strong winds also expected
Smoke from the Kincade Fire is likely to continue to be as relentless as the blaze itself today, and the air quality in the Bay Area is expected to worsen, authorities said.
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District issued a Spare the Air Alert for today, the second day in a row, citing smoke from the 60,000-acre blaze in Sonoma County and the lingering effects of several other local fires that broke out Sunday during windy, dry conditions.
Winds on Monday began blowing smoke from the Kincade
Fire to the south, and air quality officials said the air quality in the Bay Area could be at its dirtiest by midday today.
“Unfortunately, we’re expecting another day of hazy skies and unhealthy air quality,” said Jack Broadbent, a chief executive officer for the air district.
“With strong winds in the forecast and the potential for more local fires, it is important that residents protect their health by staying indoors with windows closed to avoid exposure to the smoke.”
Libraries, movie theaters and other buildings with filtered air can provide relief for those who struggle to breathe in such conditions.
Those who suffer from asthma, emphysema or COPD are especially at risk, officials said.
The district did not say how long they expect the air to stay bad. Much will depend on whether more windy conditions tonight will cause additional fires.
By noon Monday, air sensors in Vallejo, near the site of the 150-acre Glen Cove Fire that ignited near the Carquinez Bridge, showed particulate from just below 125 to about 151 on the Air Quality Index, according to purpleair.com, a company
that sells sensors that track air quality.
That figure came down from a high mark of 490 early Monday.
Air quality in Alameda, Santa Clara and Contra Costa counties also dipped into the good-tomoderate range with air particulates.
Air district spokeswoman Kristen Roselius said the smoke blanketing the East Bay and San Francisco on Monday morning was due to a fire burning in Suisun Marsh.
Strong offshore winds whipped up Saturday night that, combined with low humidity, created fire-prone weather, then prompted the second planned power outage by PG&E this month.
Over the weekend, the National Weather Service recorded wind speeds as high as 102 mph at Pine Flat Road in Healdsburg,
“Overall, we are expecting the wind component of this third system to be weaker than the current event we’re in.” — PG&E chief meteorologist Scott Strenfel
where residents have been evacuated due to the Kincade Fire.
Nearby, in the north Healdsburg Hills, winds were measured at 93 mph. Winds at Mount Saint Helena were 87 mph.
A wind advisory Monday morning was canceled a few hours early, after winds began to subside earlier than expected, according to Spencer Tangen, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Monterey.
Another strong wind event is expected to begin this morning and last into Wednesday morning, which PG&E warns could prompt another power outage affecting a similar swath of people.
“We’re expecting winds to come back up on Tuesday, especially across the hills,” said Tangen.
“But it doesn’t look as strong as the winds this weekend.”
While the winds are not expected to be as severe today, dry, windy conditions over the weekend will have dried out fuels — meaning wildfires will still be an imminent concern.
“Overall, we are expecting the wind component of this third system to be weaker than the current event we’re in,” PG&E chief meteorologist Scott Strenfel said Sunday.
“However, we’re expecting the fuel component to be more significant, because they will be drier this event.”