The air quality around the Bay, and particularly for inland towns southeast of the Kincade Fire, will be getting worse throughout the day on Monday as wind patterns shift back to the normal onshore flow.
The air quality index (AQI) rating for San Francisco is currently 51 or "moderate" according to the Apple Weather app, but as you travel north on Monday things get significantly worse. KPIX reports that the AQI in San Francisco is actually 90 or approaching "unhealthy" levels of smoke pollution, with an AQI of 140 in San Rafael, and 244 in Santa Rosa. Images shot from Salesforce Tower by KPIX's camera there show a dark cloud of smoke over the North Bay, and a smoky haze blanketing the Bay. As a result of the poor air quality, some East Bay school districts are reportedly sending kids home early.
Contributing to the smoky smell and haze in SF today is also a grass fire near Suisun City, called the Grizzly Fire. That is burning in the area of Grizzly Island, as SFGate reports. That fire began Sunday around 2 p.m. and has burned 2,300 acres in a rural area southwest of Rio Vista.
ABC 7 has some images taken from their helicopter Monday morning of the smoke sitting over much of the North Bay.
As the National Weather Service shows us in the models below, winds are pushing the smoke increasingly over land and into the valleys to our north and east as the day goes on.
Latest run of the experimental HRRR near surface smoke forecast. The loop runs through 8 pm this evening. #CAwx #CAFire pic.twitter.com/ujVKTbg00m
— NWS Bay Area (@NWSBayArea) October 28, 2019
Latest run of the experimental HRRR near surface smoke forecast. A little more clarity with timing and cities. #CAwx #CAFire @avimentor pic.twitter.com/8YrYpveEu7
— NWS Bay Area (@NWSBayArea) October 28, 2019
Bay Area residents are being cautioned not to engage in strenuous outdoor activity, and keep windows closed as evening approaches on Monday.
A new "wind event" is expected to take shape Tuesday that will potentially shift the smoke further.
Related: Kincade Fire Doubles In Size, Moves Into Tubbs Fire Territory Overnight