Smoke from the Kincade Fire is likely to continue to be as relentless as the blaze itself on Tuesday, and the air won’t be very healthy, authorities said.
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District issued a Spare the Air Alert for the second straight day, citing smoke from the 60,000-acre blaze in Sonoma County, and the leftover effect of several other local fires that broke out Sunday during windy, dry conditions.
Fire from the Kincade Fire moved south into the Bay Area on Monday, air quality officials said and air could be at its dirtiest by mid-day Tuesday.
“Unfortunately, we’re expecting another day of hazy skies and unhealthy air quality,” said Jack Broadbent, an 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 on Tuesday night will cause any more 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 which sells sensors that track air quality.
That figure came down from a high mark of 490 early Monday.
Air quality in the Alameda, Santa Clara and Contra Costa counties also had dipped into the good-to-moderate range with air particulates.
Air district spokesperson Kristen Roselius said the smoke blanketing the East Bay and San Francisco Monday morning was due to a fire burning in Suisun Marsh.
SF & East Bay air quality is being impacted by a fire in the Suisun Marsh. Smoke from the #KincadeFire is impacting the North Bay & is expected to impact the entire region later today. If you see or smell smoke, take steps to protect your health. See more: https://t.co/SCnoKTL3oN pic.twitter.com/jQPizH2hJz
— Bay Area Air Quality (@AirDistrict) October 28, 2019
Strong offshore winds whipped up Saturday night that, combined with low humidity, created fire-prone weather than prompted the second planned power outage by Pacific Gas & Electric this month. Over the weekend, the National Weather Service recorded wind speeds as high as 102 miles per hour at Pine Flat Road in Healdsburg, where residents have been evacuated due to the Kincade Fire.
Nearby, in the north Healdsburg Hills, winds were measured at 93 miles per hour. Winds at Mt. Saint Helena were 87 miles per hour.
Peak wind gusts since Saturday night. Highest was 102 mph Sunday morning in the hills near the #KincadeFire. For a complete list from around the region:https://t.co/C5RO6usyaG
#CAwx #CAFire pic.twitter.com/J4jBbFhkje— NWS Bay Area (@NWSBayArea) October 28, 2019
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 Tuesday 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 Tuesday, dry, windy conditions over the weekend will have dried out fuels– meaning wild fires 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,” Strenfel said Sunday. “However, we’re expecting the fuel component to be more significant, because they will be drier [after] this event.”